The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 165 Foresight
The white-haired father-in-law said "okay," while sniffing heavily, and waved towards the backyard. Soon, a box was brought out.

When the box was opened, the golden light was dazzling.

Fusu saw a chest full of gold.

"What does this mean...?"

Wang Ben wiped his eyes with his sleeve, sniffed again, and said, "I am pleased."

Fusu said, "The palace lacks nothing."

Wang Ben said, "Give it to the child."

"The child lacks nothing."

"It will be useful later."

Fusu looked at the box and hesitated, saying, "I can't accept it."

"For the child... I have nothing but this gold."

Fusu had little interest in the gold before him; the golden carriage that General Wang Jian had gifted him years ago was still sitting in the palace.

Even if they brought this gold back to the palace, they wouldn't know what to do with it.

Seeing the prince's troubled expression, Wang Ben said, "Your subject understands."

Fusu vaguely guessed what his father-in-law was going to do.

It wasn't until night, after Fusu returned to the palace, that Tian An, who was cooking, came hurriedly over, wearing an apron and holding a wooden spoon in his hand.

He whispered, "Young master, Grand Commandant Wang has sent three small golden carriages."

Fusu was writing a document; this should have been expected.

Tian An whispered, "Don't worry, young master, we haven't made a fuss."

Fusu looked at the night outside and said, "Send it into the storehouse, and tell the outside world that the lady is pregnant and that it was given to the unborn child by Grand Commandant Wang."

"Yes." Tian An said, taking out a piece of paper from his sleeve and whispering, "This is a message from Weibei. Grand Commandant Wang said he picked it up and sent it to you, young master."

Fusu took the paper, opened it, and read it. It contained information about Lord Jingyang.

Lord Jingyang was a member of the Qin royal family during the reign of Empress Dowager Xuan. This matter also involves the dispute between Empress Dowager Xuan and Empress Huiwen over who should be chosen as the successor to seize the throne of Qin.

Later, due to the interference of King Wuling of Zhao, Prince Ying Ji became the King of Qin, also known as King Zhaoxiang of Qin.

Later, Lord Jingyang was sent to the State of Qi as a hostage by his elder brother, King Zhaoxiang of Qin. Afterwards, Lord Jingyang returned to the State of Qin and brought Lord Mengchang with him.

The name Jingyang has a long history. As early as the Warring States period, there was a Jingyang County. The original Jingyang County was not located on the banks of the Baiqu Canal.

Now Zhang Cang is in charge of the Baiqu Canal construction and will relocate Jingyang County. The original Jingyang County has always been a poor county in Guanzhong because of its scarce farmland and small population.

This relocation has replenished the population and moved them to a better location, which should make them wealthier in the future.

Tian An said, "Young master, this was sent from Yongcheng."

Fusu saw the seal on it; it was sent by members of the royal family in Yongcheng. Now that they had moved to Jingyang County, they wanted to pay homage to Lord Jingyang.

My great-grandfather Ying Xi has been gone for many years, and there is no one to take the lead in many matters of the imperial clan.

The letter stated that Yongcheng would spontaneously preside over the sacrificial ceremony without disturbing the princes and emperor in Xianyang.

Fusu put away the paper, wrote a reply, and said, "Have someone send it over."

Tian An hurriedly left again.

Tian An is an old man who loves to cook. Heng likes this old man the most because he can always eat the delicious food that Tian An makes for him.

Tian An has become inseparable from the apron ever since he started using it; he loves cooking while wearing an apron.

Fusu looked at his son sitting at the entrance of the palace, hoping that Grandpa Tian, ​​who had just left, would return to continue making delicious food.

Sometimes, Fusu also worried that Tian An was spoiling the child.

Let the old man spoil him for now. At worst... let him suffer for a few more years when the child is older.

The Qin royal family was so weak that no one cared even when the ancestral county of the royal family was relocated.

Just like my great-grandfather said, the royal family of Qin is almost extinct.

This made Fusu realize that he didn't actually have many relatives, and that his father was mostly used to being alone. In fact, Fusu thought this was good, as it allowed him to focus without distractions.

The next day, while Fusu was jogging in the morning, a palace eunuch from Zhangtai Palace hurried over and said that court was closed that day.

Fusu asked a few more questions before he learned that his father was ill.

Before dawn, Fusu left Gaoquan Palace alone and went to his father's living quarters.

Outside the palace, Fusu saw Xia Wuqie once again.

Xia Wuqie was giving instructions to several medical officers.

After he finished giving his instructions, Fusu stepped forward. As a family member, if he wanted to ask about the patient's condition, it was probably the right thing to do to ask the doctor first.

But then I thought, it's my father who's sick, can I just casually talk about his condition?

Upon seeing the young master approach, Xia Wuqie bowed and said, "Young master."

"How is Father?"

Fusu asked the question quite naturally.

Xia Wuqie replied, "It's late autumn, and the weather is getting warmer. You just caught a chill, but it's nothing serious."

Fusu bowed and said, "Thank you for your trouble." Xia Wuqie smiled, bowed, and then turned to take his leave.

The imperial physician's smile was not pleasant; he rarely smiled in his daily life.

Although Fusu could sense that the other party was well-intentioned, seeing the other party's smile still felt strangely unsettling.

"Young master, the emperor summons you."

Fusu then followed the eunuch into the hall. His father was sitting cross-legged, holding a scroll in one hand and resting the other on the armrest.

Looking at his father engrossed in reading, he didn't seem to have caught a cold at all.

"I have seen it all. I will be fine after a day of rest."

Fusu said, "Your subject is worried and wanted to come and see Father."

Ying Zheng continued reading his book and nodded.

The book my father was reading was a paper book, which was published in Jingye County.

Everyone gets sick a few times a year, but my father is at an age where illness comes like a landslide and recovery is like pulling silk from a cocoon.

Even though it sounds like everything is fine, I still have some worries.

Ying Zheng put down the scroll in his hand and asked again, "Do you want everyone in the world to only read books published in Jingye County?"

“Father, I have never thought of banning any school of thought in the world. Building a country requires talented people. I only want to select talented people through these books. I do not mean to ban any school of thought in the world.”

"Ah."

Seeing that his father only responded with a single word, Fusu didn't know how to reply.

As he was speaking, Ying Zheng felt dizzy again, so he could only relax his body and lean against the back of the chair behind him, and said again, "Li Si is wholeheartedly trying to help you, so don't let him down."

"Your subject will not let down the Prime Minister, nor will he let down the Emperor."

Ying Zheng looked at his son again. His eyes were sharper than before, and his words were more forceful. This was a prince who had gained power and influence in the Qin court.

Ying Zheng waved his hand and said, "You may go back now, I am tired."

Fusu bowed and took his leave, exiting the living quarters which still smelled of medicinal soup.

Inside the hall, fresh air wafted in through the windows. Ying Zheng breathed in the air, his gaze still fixed on the scroll before him. A smile crept across his face as he recalled his son's calm expression when he was questioned.

The candle flame in the candlestick flickered slightly due to the wind, and a nearby eunuch quickly used his hand to shield the flame from going out. However, as he did so, he noticed a smile on the emperor's face.

The eunuch could only think that it was Prince Fusu who had come to visit and pleased the emperor.

Tongguan Academy is bustling with activity these days. Fusu listened to Cheng Miao describe the situation there. He said that every mealtime, the children would run to the restaurants. Despite their small stomachs, they ate a lot of food. The noodles in Tongguan were all eaten up every day, and the children wouldn't stop until they had eaten everything.

Whenever Sima Xin mentioned it, he worried that Tongguan City would be ruined by these children.

If this were an ordinary family, they would really be bankrupted.

This shows that Shusun Tong's move to collect grain from students was incredibly prescient. If he hadn't done so, Jingye County would have been bankrupted long ago.

Fusu, not seeing the Prime Minister, asked, "Where is the Prime Minister?"

Cheng Miao was still chewing on his biscuit. He swallowed it and replied, "I've been staying indoors for the past two days. I don't know what I've been doing."

These days, Prime Minister Li Si does seem to be in seclusion.

"Young master, this is an examination paper compiled by Shusun Tong."

Today, I came to the Prime Minister's residence to wait for this exam paper. Fusu took the exam paper and glanced at it. The exam paper was very simple. It was all fill-in-the-blank questions on the sayings of various schools of thought. You had to write the first half of the sentence and fill in the second half. There was also an essay question on the matter of Lord Xinling and King Wei.

This question is meant to test people's views on trust.

Fusu asked, "Is there only one?"

"Reporting to the young master, the physician said that if you feel it is not enough, you can write a few more volumes."

Shusun Tong was a scholar, so his examination papers naturally focused on literature.

If the Prime Minister were here, he would hope that Shusun Tong's exam questions could be more pointed, such as the comparison between unity and construction and the enfeoffment of local rulers, or the gap between the county system under a fair system and the enfeoffment system.

Shusun Tong was a good person and a good teacher. He always taught what he was supposed to teach, and he was good at teaching his students how to be good people.

He and Li Si were two extremes; Li Si was a man who could use teaching as a political tool.

Shusun Tong was a truly good person. He set questions without any ulterior motives, and his questions were primarily aimed at guiding students.

Fusu did not want a good person like Shusun Tong to change. If the Prime Minister asked Shusun Tong to do so, the scholar would certainly be very disappointed.

Shusun Tong's exam paper cannot be easily changed. He has contributed so much to Jingye County over the years, and it is time to repay him.

Fusu said to Cheng Miao, "Let the Prime Minister also prepare the examination papers."

Cheng Miao asked in confusion, "Young Master, this scroll..."

Fusu said calmly, "When did I say there was only one exam paper? Astronomy, mathematics, essay writing, and governance will all be tested."

Cheng Miao replied with a knowing look, "Your subject obeys."

Fusu was still looking at Shusun Tong's scrolls when he said, "Tell the Grand Tutor that once the complete exam papers are available, I will personally go to Jingye County to inquire about them."

"Yes."

Of course, people later thought that as long as you passed the exam, you could become an official.

When former poor people become officials who govern the old nobles, Fusu wonders what they will think. He imagines they will still point towards Hangu Pass and curse the tyrannical Qin Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)