The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 192 Xiao He Repays His Favor

After that, Sima Xin allowed Xiao He to participate in the construction of the river embankment.

A month is neither a long nor a short time. Orders from Xianyang arrived in Tongguan City, and many people were to be assigned to various places as officials.

Xiao He stood up, patted the account book on the table, which was his report to Sima Xin.

During this month, Xiao He helped Sima Xin complete the preparations for the construction of the river embankment, including laborers, craftsmen, and grain, as well as stone materials. The construction of the embankment has already begun, and as long as the written procedures are followed, there will be no problems with the construction.

It was much easier to handle these matters in Guanzhong than in Chu. Xiao He only needed to have Sima Xin write a document, and the supplies and manpower that were due would arrive in three days at the latest.

This gave Xiao He the feeling that officials in Guanzhong should be extremely cautious and careful, and they would not dare to neglect any order.

Unlike the Chu region, where sometimes government decrees issued in the spring were not prepared until the summer.

Xiao He composed himself and saw that Cao Can had already cleaned the house and was waiting outside.

It looks like it's about to rain outside.

Xiao He stepped outside and said to Cao Can, who was carrying a bundle, "Let's go, go to Weibei to take up our posts."

Cao Can asked, "Shouldn't we inform the Prefectural Magistrate?"

"No need. The transfer order cannot be delayed. We can only walk there. The sooner we get to Weibei, the sooner we can have peace of mind."

"Yes."

Weibei Prefecture was newly established, separated from Weinan by Xianyang.

Weibei is the north side of the Wei River, and also the north side of Xianyang.

It was a newly established prefecture. Sima Xin said that the several counties there were newly established, making it a good place to put one's skills to use.

Xiao He also asked Sima Xin why he and Cao Can were assigned to serve in the same county.

Originally, Xiao He was prepared that they would be assigned to different places after the transfer order was issued, but they were assigned to the same place by chance.

Sima Xin did not answer this question, but said that you were all personally appointed by Prince Fusu.

Prince Fusu personally appointed him… Xiao He thought to himself as he walked to the Tongguan city gate, looking towards Xianyang. He really wanted to go to Xianyang to see what kind of person Prince Fusu was.

But it's just wishful thinking; people like them might never see Prince Fusu in their entire lives.

Just like Lou Jing, who passed the grand examination this time, he had been in Guanzhong for several years but had never seen Prince Fusu.

Xiao He also heard that Lou Jing had a friend named Mao Heng, who taught poetry and literature to children in Tongguan City. He had met Prince Fusu, but only once.

Lou Jing never expected that after passing the imperial examination, he would have to go to the Hexi Corridor to serve as a county magistrate.

It seems that the highest position in this transfer order is that of county magistrate, and Xiao He also got the position of county magistrate, while Cao Can is the county clerk.

Cao Can asked, "Aren't you going to say goodbye to the Prefect?"

Cao Shen was truly grateful to Sima Xin and wanted to thank him in person.

Xiao He said, "No need."

The reason Xiao He said this was because he knew he had done Sima Xin a great favor, and seeing the river embankment under repair, he felt he had repaid the debt of gratitude.

Now, I can finally leave this place without any burden.

Xiao He said, "Let's hurry on our way."

Cao Shen replied, "Yes."

Of the thousand people who were not selected this time, two hundred chose to join the army, one hundred chose to teach in rural areas, and the rest left.

It's good that he's leaving; someone always has to leave. He will tell the world about the results of this exam, what the process was like, and whether he can truly become an official.

That's true, it's possible to become an official, but you have to compete for it.

As Xiao He walked along, he felt that Prince Fusu had finally achieved his goal and would lay the foundation for the future of Qin. He believed that future Qin officials should be selected in this way.

Talented individuals should be selected fairly. Xiao He learned new lessons from Prince Fusu's policies.

This method of selecting talent could only be implemented by the Qin Dynasty, because the Qin kings of all dynasties valued talent when employing people, and did not care about a person's past reputation, such as Fan Ju and Zhang Yi.

It was precisely because the Qin state had had such people in the past that Prince Fusu's decrees were able to be implemented.

This seemed to be a strategy that was naturally suited to the Qin state, and it also perfectly matched the Qin law's standards for employing people.

As Xiao He was thinking this, an autumn rain suddenly began to fall from the already gloomy sky.

The two ran all the way to a thatched hut by the Jingye Canal, where several passersby were taking shelter from the rain.

Before we knew it, we had arrived at the foot of Shangyan Mountain, and the starting point of Jingye Canal was just ahead.

Cao Shen took off his straw hat, put down his bundle, spread some dry grass on his hands, and sat down.

Xiao He drank water and gazed at the vast distance. The Guanzhong Plain stretched as far as the eye could see, and the distant scenery was submerged in the rain, which pattered softly.

"It looks like this rain won't stop for another two or three hours," someone complained. It seemed he was also on his way from Tongguan to take up a post elsewhere.

Cao Shen recognized a familiar face and asked, "Han Xin?"

Han Xin looked up at the person who had called him and said, "May I ask..."

"I am Cao Shen. We have met several times in Tongguan City."

Han Xin shook his head; he really didn't remember ever seeing Cao Can.

Cao Can gestured, indicating that they had met several times in winter and summer.

Han Xin couldn't remember at all; he worked in the library and saw countless people every day. After talking for a while, seeing that the other party couldn't recall him and wasn't even willing to pretend to know him, Cao Can felt that this person was somewhat ungrateful.

However, there was a woman beside Han Xin, who was also carrying a bundle.

The two sat side by side, appearing to be a young couple.

Xiao He asked, "Where are you being transferred to?"

Han Xin replied, "I am going to Yunzhong County."

Upon hearing this, Cao Can immediately perked up and asked in return, "The clouds over the northern grasslands?"

Han Xin nodded.

Xiao He said, "My name is Xiao He, and I serve as a county magistrate in Weibei."

Seeing that the other party had bowed, Han Xin also stood up and said, "My name is Han Xin. I am going to Yunzhong County in the north to serve as a colonel in the army."

The rank of captain is just a military position; what exactly they do in the military depends on the specific arrangements.

Han Xin then looked at the woman beside him and introduced her to Xiao He: "This is my wife. We are originally from Huaiyin and we just got married last month."

Xiao He said, "I originally thought that military ranks could only be obtained through military achievements."

Han Xin smiled but said nothing more.

Neither Xiao He nor Cao Can had seen Han Xin's examination paper. Although Sima Xin could access everyone's papers, the Qin court officials would prioritize protecting those papers, and only the papers of those who made a fuss would be taken out.

Sima Xin could no longer tolerate it, which is why he took out the exam paper and showed it to everyone.

Unless absolutely necessary, the Qin court would not display their examination papers to the public.

Han Xin's dispatch to the north was definitely related to the examination paper he wrote, and even his own transfer order; all of this was arranged by Prince Fusu.

The rain intensified and showed no sign of stopping even as night fell.

Some people had already left in the rain, but two teenagers hurriedly ran into the thatched hut.

The younger boy said, "Brother Zhang, I told you it would rain today. Now it's too late to go back. What should we do?"

"What else can we do? It's just a matter of grinding another batch of tofu."

"Very tired."

Zhang Jing said nonchalantly, "I can grind it myself, I don't need to be punished together."

Shusun Tong's method of punishment was very simple; it was nothing more than grinding tofu.

The old master would naturally not punish the young master, but would only use the excuse of not taking good care of him to punish Zhang Jing.

Zhang Jing didn't feel wronged at all; to him, the punishments the old master was giving him were neither painful nor bothersome.

Realizing there were still a few people inside the thatched hut, the two boys stopped talking.

Cao Shen had previously been a county official, and in charge of criminal justice. He was very good at observing people, and he could guess their general situation from the words and actions of these two boys. He asked, "Are you two from Jingye County?"

Gongzi Heng did not reply.

Zhang Jing said, "Of course."

Gongzi Heng sat to the side, reaching out to catch some of the falling rain. Brother Zhang Jing was incredibly strong; even three or five adult men working together might not be a match for him.

As a result, Young Master Heng didn't take the people in the thatched hut seriously.

Cao Can then asked, "Young man, is there an old scholar named Shusun Tong in your Jingye County?"

Where are you from?

“We come from the Chu region. We just passed the exam and are going to take up our posts in Weibei.” Cao Can said, his eyes observing the younger one.

Although the speaker was a tall, strong young man, it was clear that the younger boy was the backbone of the two.

No matter how Cao Jian tried to probe, the young boy remained silent, and Cao Jian, realizing it was pointless, stopped asking.

After nightfall, I don't know what time it was, the rain finally stopped.

Zhang Jingdao said, "Since you are all going to take up positions in various counties, why don't you come with me to Jingye County to spend the night? Spending the night by the canal will make you catch a cold."

Cao Shen quickly bowed and said, "Thank you."

The group followed the two boys out of the thatched hut. Just as Cao Can had thought, the younger boy who had been silent was indeed the leader, while the older boy lagged half a step behind.

Noticing Xiao He's gaze, Cao Can lowered his head slightly, knowing he had offended him.

He was simply curious, after all, there were too many rumors about Shangyan Mountain in Weinan, and most of the things about Shangyan Mountain were related to Prince Fusu.

Zhang Jing first let Gongzi Heng enter the village, while he led the others to an empty house outside the village to stay.

Cao Can noticed that there were still armored soldiers moving around in the village, and the Qin army was on high alert. He immediately became obedient.

"I have heard that Prince Fusu is a voracious reader. When the emperor made his eastern tour, the prince wanted to collect all the books in the world. Later, there were rumors that thieves all over the world were searching for books for Prince Fusu, and many famous writers hid their books."

The speaker was Han Xin, who continued, "But I have read many books about Guanzhong and have not found any record of thieves presenting books to Prince Fusu. On the contrary, many thieves who arrive in Guanzhong are arrested within two days."

Seeing Han Xin talking to his wife, Cao Shen lay on the haystack, his back to the two men.

Xiao He sat alone under the eaves, reading the county annals of Jingyang County by the light of an oil lamp. He was about to take up his post in Jingyang County, so it wouldn't hurt to read the annals in advance.

(End of this chapter)