The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 186 The Grand Test is Imminent
"I... am dull-witted."

Heng stood there, stunned, once again feeling discouraged by his teacher.

Shusun Tong sat down and took the scroll that Heng was holding. He patiently said, "This county used to be very poor. It was rare to be able to eat your fill. In our county, we like people who eat the least and do the most work."

Heng bowed and said, "Thank you for your guidance, teacher."

Teaching children was something that Shusun Tong was already very skilled at, and he devoted himself wholeheartedly to teaching Prince Heng.

Upon hearing this, Shusun Tong nodded in satisfaction and said, "Go out and have some fun."

"Yes."

"besides……"

Heng stopped in his tracks as he was about to leave, turned around, and said, "Please speak, teacher."

Shusun Tong looked at the book and said calmly, "Sima Xin has a basket of Guilin oranges that the young master bestowed upon him. Bring some over to this old man."

"Yes."

Gongzi Heng left quickly.

Shusun Tong sat alone in his study, enjoying a sip of tea.

There were no letters from old friends and scholars from various places, no Zhang Han in front of him, and no Zhang Cang to bother him. Shusun Tong was very pleased with this feeling.

This year was almost the most comfortable year for his uncle, Shusun Tong.

As for young master Heng, he is a bit slow-witted, but he can still be taught.

After noon, a basket of tangerines was brought in, and the person who delivered it said it was from young master Heng.

Only an hour had passed when Shusun Tong asked curiously, "It arrived so quickly?"

"Reporting to the Master," the student who delivered the oranges bowed and said, "It was the young master who sent someone from the Duke of Pinyang to deliver these oranges. The young master also said that the Master should eat these oranges first."

Shusun Tong thought of the Duke of Pinyang, who was still eating hot tofu in the county. In this county, he could ignore everyone else's attitude, but he had to pay attention to the Duke of Pinyang.

Who told him to be the great-grandfather of the young master's family?

"Master, two cartloads of books have also been sent from Xianyang, said to be from the young master."

"Have someone clean it up."

"Yes."

Seeing that the teacher did not give any further instructions, the student put down the basket and left.

When faced with difficulties, the people of Weinan always use an extremely optimistic attitude to overcome them. They even survived when they had nothing left.

So now, when faced with difficulties, people are more optimistic.

Sima Xin dealt with several students who had engaged in a private fight. He saw that they had been imprisoned for three days. Since it was just a private fight involving fists and feet, they did not carry weapons and no injuries were caused.

This matter need not be recorded, and the students who caused the disturbance can still continue their studies and can also take the imperial examinations to enter officialdom.

It's not a big deal either.

The Qin laws were very strict, and the slightest mistake could ruin the future of these students.

For the sake of their future, it was crucial to control their hands, feet, and temper. Sima Xin had notices posted at the entrances of various schools to inform the students.

This is one of the benefits of having paper; there are now more places to post notices.

In terms of public security, paper notices are quite useful.

Even though the start of autumn hasn't arrived yet, Tongguan City is already bustling with people; this year's exams are sure to be very lively.

"Jun Cheng."

Upon hearing this, Sima Xin looked up and saw that the young master Heng was already standing in front of her.

This young master Heng looks almost exactly like young master Fusu. Sima Xin looked at the still short young master and bowed, saying, "Young master."

Do you have any extra tangerines?

Sima Xin said, "Yes."

"Could you give some to my teacher?"

Sima Xin hesitated for a moment, for those were all gifts from Prince Fusu.

Seeing the prefect's troubled expression, Heng took out a scroll and said, "This is my father's book. I would like to exchange it with the prefect."

Since it was a book by Prince Fusu, Sima Xin naturally wouldn't refuse. He said, "I'll have someone send over the tangerines."

Heng added, "I'm also worried that the teacher might eat too much."

The young master is so young, yet he already possesses such extraordinary wisdom. Sima Xin couldn't understand why Shusun Tong always said that this child was dull-witted.

This is clearly an extremely bright child; who wouldn't like him?

After thanking Sima Xin, the young master left the prefectural governor's residence.

Originally, a prefecture only had one prefectural governor's office and no prefectural assistant prefectural governor's office; Weinan was an exception.

Heng walked out of the prefectural governor's mansion and into Tongguan City, watching the busy students. The library was packed with people every day, and even if the craftsmen kept printing books, it wouldn't be enough for everyone to read.

However, the paper mills in Jingye County will not resume operations until the weather warms up, and the paper here will soon be exhausted, at which point bamboo slips will have to be used as a substitute.

This happens frequently; no matter how much paper is produced, it's never enough.

Bamboo slips are still widely used, and their advantage is that they can be preserved for a long time.

“Young Master,” Zhang Jing asked, puzzled, “Since you’ve already had the Duke of Pinyang send the oranges, why did you have the Prefectural Magistrate send them as well?”

Heng explained, "The teacher has a strange temper. Having the old man deliver oranges is only a temporary solution. What if the teacher feels while eating the oranges that they weren't given by the prefect..."

Zhang Jing considered the consequences of this matter and said, "The teacher will always remember this." Heng then nodded.

Today, Xianyang sent another notice, announcing the subjects of the examination and setting the criteria for selecting officials. All examination papers will be evaluated and selected by the Prime Minister's Office. The subjects include astronomy and geography, as well as governance of the people and the country.

Heng said, "Brother Zhang Jing, does military strategy necessarily require knowledge of geography?"

Zhang Jing shook his head and said, "Although my father is a general in the army, he has never taught me how to lead troops and fight battles."

Heng added, "Your younger brother has always been by the General's side, so he must know."

Zhang Jing nodded, staring silently at the notice posted on the wall.

There are conditions for this exam; applicants must be 19 years of age or older.

Zhang Jing was not old enough to take the exam, so the two left Tongguan City without any worries.

Inside Tongguan City, Xiao He looked at the scroll in front of him. At this moment, he felt as if he were facing a formidable enemy. The examination at the beginning of autumn was very stressful for him and Cao Can.

Both of them came from the Chu region and had never been exposed to books from Guanzhong before, so this was almost like starting from scratch for them.

From last winter until now, Xiao He has never stopped reading.

The more books Xiao He read, the more he admired Prince Fusu's demeanor.

Furthermore, from recent observations, I learned that Prince Fusu selected officials from among the common people to govern, directly abandoning the scholar-officials.

The First Emperor was able to implement the prefecture-county system, and Prince Fusu abandoned the scholar-officials and selected officials from the common people.

Both father and son of the Qin dynasty were ruthless and stubborn in pursuing their goals.

They don't listen to others' opinions and are willing to risk everything for their ideals.

If Prince Fusu had truly done wrong, then so many people wouldn't have followed him.

But precisely because of this, Prince Fusu gained so many followers.

After reading for a long time, Cao Shen closed his eyes and said, "I really want to go to Xianyang and see what kind of people Prince Fusu and the emperor are."

Xiao He replied, "Alright."

Cao Can asked suspiciously, "I heard that Lou Jing has been in Guanzhong for many years but has never seen Prince Fusu. Does this mean we will also never see that prince?"

Xiao He nodded again, looking at his book without saying anything more.

Feeling bored, Cao Shen went outside and breathed in the cold air.

At this moment, he scratched his head again. He regretted persuading Xiao He to come to Guanzhong. What if that Prince Fusu was just a figurehead?
But after arriving in Guanzhong, the people there praised Prince Fusu.

What exactly made Xiao He so determined to make this trip to Guanzhong?

Thinking back, Cao Shen recalled the spring floods before his arrival, in which all the counties of Chu were submerged by the river. He thought how wonderful it would be if Chu had someone who could govern the region like Prince Fusu governed Guanzhong.

That's all Cao Shen could think of.

Just then, Cao Can saw a man eating a pancake and holding a scroll of books. This man also lived in the study in Tongguan City.

Cao Shen served in the county government of Zhongyangli for many years and was particularly good at recognizing people; he could remember any face at a glance.

The person who happened to be passing by, eating a pancake along the way, was someone who came to Tongguan around the same time as them.

"Young man," Cao Can greeted with a smile.

Seeing that the other person was younger than him, he addressed him as "little brother".

Han Xin stopped walking and also stopped chewing. He turned around to look at the person who had called him, and only bent down slightly.

He didn't speak either, and Cao Shen's smile froze under the other person's gaze.

After a long silence, Han Xin continued eating his pancake as he walked back to his residence.

Cao Shen remained standing there, still troubled.

The frigid weather lasted for another month, and finally, warm winds arrived in Guanzhong. The cold winds from the northwest collided with the warm winds from the east, creating a thunderous sound in Huayin County.

With the arrival of the Awakening of Insects, thunderstorms are also on their way.

This is how Prince Fusu named the twenty-four solar terms, and these names are all very fitting.

The sky was overcast, with flashes of lightning. Farmers, wearing raincoats, were already rushing to the fields to dig ditches and drain the water.

After the water is drained, it's time to hurry up and plant wheat.

The thunderstorm lasted for an hour. When the sun broke through the dark clouds, it was clear that almost every village and county was deserted. Apart from the bustling Tongguan town, almost every household was empty, and even if there were people, they were mostly elderly people and children.

People went to work in the fields.

Xiao He was standing on the banks of the Yellow River when he saw thousands of farmers rushing into the fields, barefoot on the ridges, to begin cultivating the land.

"Every year is the same; this is when the scenery is at its best."

Hearing the words behind him, Xiao He turned around and saw Sima Xin, the Prefect of Weinan.

"Greetings, Prefectural Magistrate."

Sima Xin knew Xiao He; Xiao He was a county official in Zhongyangli, and they had dealings with each other.

He asked, "You could have stayed in the county, so why did you travel all the way to Guanzhong?"

Xiao He replied, "Many teachers who volunteer to teach in rural areas could have obtained official positions, but they still choose to go to distant places to teach."

"Yes, there are indeed such people." Sima Xin glanced at Xiao He and said, "Was it them who moved you?"

Xiao He said, "Some things cannot be accomplished by simply sending teachers to rural areas."

Sima Xin nodded without denying it, and slowly said, "Yes, governing a country requires stronger power and more capable ministers."

(End of this chapter)