The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 177 Disciples from Chu
Fan Zeng's reputation among the Chu gentry was too high, much like that of Lord Chunshen Huang Xie in the past. If Chu were to be restored, with the help of this old gentleman, the former nobles and gentry of Chu scattered in various places would surely respond.

If this old man opposes the restoration of Chu, he probably won't get the support of the gentry in Chu, or even the support of the Chu royal family from back then.

Seeing that the old gentleman was going to stay in Langya County, Huan Chu worried that the old gentleman might actually be persuaded by that charlatan and go to Guanzhong to serve the Qin Emperor.

When Qin summoned scholars from the six states to come to Qin, Mr. Fan Zeng was also on the list of scholars, but he refused to come to Qin at that time.

Huan Chu said, "Xiang clan, Xiang Liang."

Fan Zeng, who had been relaxed, frowned upon hearing the name and asked, "Xiang Yan's son?"

Upon hearing this, Huan Chu smiled again and said, "Does the old gentleman still remember?"

Fan Zeng closed his eyes and stopped speaking.

Huan Chu walked out of the old man's room dejectedly. He thought and thought, but he didn't know how to explain it to Xiang Liang. At the moment, he couldn't persuade the old man.

The next day, Lang finished his lessons at dusk and was having dinner with Xu Fu at Langya Terrace.

The two then talked about the construction of the armillary sphere. Xu Fu took out a piece of paper and handed it to him, saying, "There are a few mathematical problems here that I can't figure out."

Lang took the paper, placed it on the table, and looked at the questions while chewing rice.

Xu Fu explained, "Your Highness said that the armillary sphere is a huge arithmetic instrument used to calculate the calendar and the sun, moon and stars. Zhang Cang also said that Your Highness called it the armillary sphere, which may cause the world's sorcerers to have many thoughts."

Lang glanced at the problem a few more times, then looked away and started eating.

Fan Zeng came after smelling the aroma of rice. He said, "I'm actually quite hungry."

Lang served the old man a bowl of rice and said, "How can we let the old man go hungry?"

Fan Zeng also noticed the papers on the table and examined them curiously.

Xu Fu put down his chopsticks and also observed Fan Zeng.

Lang, however, continued eating his fish, seemingly unconcerned that it was none of his business.

After reading the contents of the paper, Fan Zeng asked in confusion, "This question is..."

Xu Fu put away the paper and explained, "This was sent from Guanzhong, and it's also the riddle that Prince Fusu is currently solving."

Fan Zeng said knowingly, "So Prince Fusu's mathematical skills are so remarkable."

After the meal, Lang cleaned up the dishes, and Xu Fu also put away the table and had it moved back. The area under Langya Terrace remained clean.

Fan Zeng looked up and saw Langya Terrace once again, imagining the Qin King, who called himself emperor, standing on Langya Terrace.

After the meal, Lang went to teach, while Fan Zeng listened to the lessons.

Lang's lessons were very interesting. He liked to tell stories about the old events that happened in the various states in the past. Moreover, Lang taught the children to be good people and to do what they should and shouldn't do.

Fan Zeng really liked Langya County. He originally came to Qi to visit old friends, but he never expected that he would stay there forever after passing through the area.

Here, there are no grudges or resentments between the people of the former six kingdoms, nor are there those who are determined to restore their kingdoms.

Fan Zeng didn't need to be bothered by those things, nor did he need to ask others for favors.

Furthermore, it allowed him to stay away from the old nobles of Chu. Langya County was like a secluded place where Fan Zeng could spend time with people he admired without being bothered by those grudges.

Although the State of Chu no longer exists, its former nobles remain, and the grudges among the Chu people are still unclear to this day.

Now, there is a place far away from the noise, suspicion, and intrigue of people's hearts.

Most people probably prefer this kind of retirement life in their later years.

Here, Fan Zeng could have a long talk with Lang Gao, discussing Qin's governance of the world.

For example, when Qin unified the world, the war ended. Now, people should unite to resist the Xiongnu people in the north and protect this great home.

In order to govern the former people of the six states, Li Si once wanted to eliminate the Chu and Qi people's marks on them.

Even Li Si back then was determined to erase the Yue people's mark and turn them all into Qin people.

After class, Fan Zeng and Lang talked about Li Si again.

"Li Si proposed to standardize the width of carts and the written language. It was easy to issue the decree, and in various places, it was only the county officials of Qin who responded. However, the vast majority of people did not change because of it."

Lang did not object to Fan Zeng's words.

Fan Zeng added, “Li Si’s decrees have been issued, but the one who is actually implementing them is not Li Si, but the tutors under Prince Fusu.”

Lang added, "That's all thanks to the Prime Minister's support."

Fan Zeng then asked, "Does this mean that only children taught by you volunteer teachers will be allowed to take the exams in the future?"

He nodded.

"Eight hundred years have passed, and we are finally going to accomplish this."

Fan Zeng could talk endlessly about politics.

Autumn by the sea is also a season of abundant fishing harvests.

Every morning, Fan Zeng could see groups of fishing boats returning from the sea.

It has been two months since we arrived in Langya County. According to the twenty-four solar terms established by Prince Fusu, it should be the Cold Dew season now.

Fan Zeng sat by the sea, looking at the scroll in his hand. Prince Fusu had named all twenty-four solar terms, and it was clear that the prince had meticulously divided them using the four seasons.

It is clear which solar term each day belongs to.

The names of the solar terms, such as Cold Dew and Frost's Descent, are very beautiful. I wonder how you came up with these names, young master.

In the third month since Mr. Fan Zeng arrived, Huan Chu had been taking care of him. The old gentleman lived in a small house by the sea, which was also very close to Langya Terrace. This small house was originally used by Xu Fu to store his belongings.

After the old gentleman arrived, this house was put into his temporary residence.

Xu Fu was formerly a student at the Jixia Academy and greatly admired Fan Zeng, who was quite famous among the scholars in various regions.

Today, Huan Chu listened to the laughter of the old man playing with the children, and a smile appeared on his face as well.

The old gentleman was really happy and joyful after he came here.

Just thinking about the people he met today made Huan Chu lose his smile. He turned to look at the distant sea. The old gentleman was doing well here.

Compared to some people in the Chu region, such as Xiang Liang, who can only live in the shadows and hide in hiding, they are now in a different situation.

To restore Chu?

This was yet another moment of confusion for Huan Chu. Did he really have to restore Chu?

The reason Huan Chu thought of these things was because he met someone today who delivered a letter, which was sent by Xiang Liang.

Xiang Liang came over to ask the old man if he was alright.

When he parted ways with Xiang Liang in Kuaiji Commandery, Xiang Liang was plotting to restore Chu, so he kept writing to Xiang Liang to inquire about the matter.

Huan Chu wanted to restore Chu, but the person he respected most in his life was still his teacher, Fan Zeng.

Although the teacher would whip him with bamboo sticks, Huan Chu felt that it was all justified.

Xiang Liang harbored immense hatred for Qin. After Xiang Yan's death, he plotted to restore Chu. Huan Chu knew that Xiang Liang was capable of anything to restore Chu.

Xiang Liang wanted to win over his teacher.

Huan Chu kept these things from his teacher, not wanting him to know about Xiang Liang's plan.

After the teacher had gone far away, Huan Chu cleaned the teacher's room thoroughly, making it extremely clean.

After the teacher returned home, Huan Chu personally prepared a meal for her.

"Teacher, I need to go back to Chu soon."

Fan Zeng nodded as he ate his meal.

The following day, Huan Chu found a fisherwoman to take care of his teacher's daily life and paid her handsomely.

Huan Chu packed his bags and left the seaside.

Huan Chu arrived in the county town west of Langya, where he met a man named Canmu, who was a man of Xiang Liang.

When the emperor was on his eastern tour and passed through Pengcheng, it was this very tree that killed Han Zhong.

Upon seeing this person, Huan Chu was surprised, but he was certain that Xiang Liang would do anything to restore Chu.

Canmu sized the other person up and asked, "Old sir?"

Huan Chu replied, "The old gentleman asked me to go see Xiang Liang."

Seeing that Canmu still looked doubtful, Huan Chu said again, "I am my teacher's disciple. Does Xiang Liang not trust me?"

Seeing that the other party was about to turn hostile, Canmu smiled and said, "Of course I can trust you, please."

The two men disguised themselves as merchants and left Langya County.

Along the way, Huan Chu was still thinking about Fan Zeng. If he had died in Chu, last night would probably have been the last time he ate with his teacher.

I wonder if the teacher ate well last night.

If he were to die, and his teacher were able to live out his life peacefully by the sea, Huan Chu would have no regrets.

His visit to Xiang Liang was to appease him and protect his teacher.

Even after leaving Langya County, I can still hear people talking about Guanzhong; people are always willing to believe what they see.

This year, many people who had traveled to Guanzhong have returned, praising how wonderful Guanzhong is and even encouraging more people to go there.

It seems that the Guanzhong region under Qin rule was a paradise on earth.

Whenever Canmu heard these words, his expression would turn annoyed.

Huan Chu then recalled his teacher's words. In fact, his teacher disliked the kings of Chu throughout history and looked down on the state of Chu, especially the two most recent kings, who were even more disappointing.

The teacher had long been utterly disappointed in the King of Chu. Now that the world had finally achieved peace, Huan Chu felt that if the world didn't descend into chaos, the teacher wouldn't have helped Xiang Liang restore Chu.

Huan Chu then thought of Prince Fusu. If Ying Zheng hadn't had such a son, the situation would probably be very different now.

If Prince Fusu truly loves all people and is as devoted to the people as rumored, then as the teacher said, Prince Fusu is the one who receives much help from those who are virtuous.

Xiang Liang, however, is the one who has lost his way and has few supporters.

Therefore, Huan Chu still had his own plans. If Qin really brought chaos to the world, his teacher would naturally come out of seclusion to help Xiang Liang.

Conversely, if Qin had been able to govern the country well, Xiang Liang's uprising would have been quickly suppressed.

War is arduous, and Huan Chu hoped that Prince Fusu could govern the world well, since at least the vast majority of the people of Chu harbored resentment towards King Ying Zheng of Qin.

However, among the old nobles of Chu, many people were still friendly to Prince Fusu, and it was rumored that the prince was the child of a woman from Chu.

Looking back now at the fierce battles between the seven kingdoms, it feels like a lifetime ago.

(End of this chapter)