The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 203 Dongjun Meteorite
Ying Zheng responded and was about to lower his head to continue reading the documents, but after a while, he looked up again at the outside of the hall and saw Fusu talking softly to the child in his arms.

For some reason, seeing this scene made me feel much less tired.

Seeing the young master carrying the little prince out of Zhangtai Palace, Tian An followed behind.

It wasn't until they returned to Gaoquan Palace and the young master's family had rested that it was already late at night.

Tian An sat before the memorial tablet of Empress Dowager Huayang. There was a power in the young master, a power that was warm and strong. No matter how great the difficulties, they were just temporary storms to him.

Just like this time when Mars guards the heart, it is nothing more than a rare spectacle for the young master.

To the prince, the former nobles of the six states were nothing more than troublemakers.

That's why the young master is always able to firmly and unwaveringly uphold his principles for governing the country.

Tian An felt that the young master's power would influence the emperor and the people of the world, making the country both warm and strong.

In the 36th year of the First Emperor's reign, in May.

A month has passed since the celestial phenomenon of Mars guarding the heart of the sky, and rumors are spreading throughout the counties and prefectures that the emperor is about to die.

The officials and soldiers in various counties arrested many people, resulting in many people being imprisoned in prisons in many counties.

In Langya County, Xu Fu looked worriedly at the prison cells filled with people.

The jailer hurriedly brought the document, saying, "Magistrate, this is an edict from the Prime Minister's office."

Xu Fu opened the letter, looked at its contents, and said, "Alright, send them to repair the Great Wall first thing tomorrow morning."

The jailer pressed, "All of them?"

"All."

"Yes."

When Xu Fu walked out of the county prison, it was just dawn.

"Mars guards the heart, Mars guards the heart..."

It seemed that the whole world was talking about this matter all of a sudden. Xu Fu originally wanted to go and see if the observatory in front of Langya Terrace had been completed.

But they found Lang and Fan Zeng sitting by the sea.

The sea breeze made their robes flutter loudly.

Xu Fu stepped forward and overheard their conversation.

Lang said, "The most heated discussion about the saying that Mars is guarding the heart is among the many Chu shamans."

Fan Zeng asked, "Are they wrong in their discussion?"

Lang said, "That's just a minority."

Xu Fu wanted to explain that he had three hundred people in his prison, which was quite a lot... but then Fan Zeng spoke up again, saying, "You also saw that Mars is in conjunction with Antares."

Lang said, "I was teaching at the time and didn't see it."

"You!" Fan Zeng was speechless for a moment, then said, "Don't think that I'm senile."

Lang said, “Old sir, those people are saying that the emperor will die when Mars is in conjunction with the heart of the sky. That’s just an excuse for them to restore their country. The reason why those old nobles oppose Prince Fusu’s teaching is because the powerful families of the past, such as the Tian, ​​Xiang, Zhao and Mi families, never taught ordinary people to read and write. Therefore, the common people did not have the ability to read and write. But now Prince Fusu wants to teach this ability to the people of the world.”

Lang said, "They're scared."

At this point, Lang added, "By the way, your Fan family from Jiujiang is also among them."

Fan Zeng said, "Your reasoning is far-fetched."

The two men had been discussing it since morning until noon.

Xu Fu felt that both of them could have become prime ministers, but they were simply born at the wrong time.

Xu Fu was having a meal by the sea when he saw a huge star fall from the sky. His chopsticks fell to the ground. Xu Fu immediately got up and ran to his county government, where he dispatched men to chase after the falling star.

In Dongjun, a meteorite fell, and the huge shockwaves spread throughout the surrounding area.

Zhang Cang's troops stationed in Dongjun were immediately mobilized.

This troop reacted even faster than the previous troops from Dongjun.

Fortunately, the soldiers sent by Xianyang had cleared out the residents of Juancheng a month earlier and were checking them one by one, saying they were there to arrest the rebel Zhang Liang.

When the people of Dongjun cautiously went to investigate the site of the meteorite's fall, they found no meteorite, only a deep crater. Squads of Qin soldiers were already patrolling outside the crater, and no one was allowed to approach.

The surrounding houses had all been burned down, and the fields looked as if a great fire had taken place, with wisps of white smoke rising from the burnt-out houses.

Three days later, one night, the Qin army that had surrounded the meteorite crater left. It is said that they also took away a huge stone and transported it to Xianyang.

All that was left for the people of Dongjun was a deep pit, which appeared to have been burned and even contained some solidified molten iron.

Xianyang, inside the main hall of Zhangtai Palace.

Fusu knew that if he used the armillary sphere to explain the conjunction of Mars and Antares, Prime Minister Li Si would believe him.

But to know about a meteorite and where it fell through an armillary sphere is simply too deceptive.

Fortunately, the Prime Minister did not ask any further questions, but his gaze was filled with confusion and bewilderment... This gaze would sometimes look up and sometimes lower itself.

How else can it be explained?
It can only be said that Prince Fusu was a man of profound learning, his knowledge reaching the point where he could predict the fall of a meteorite.

This rumor is actually quite convincing. Prince Fusu had already predicted that Mars would be in conjunction with the Heart Star, so it's reasonable for him to come and greet this meteorite ahead of time.

Most people judge the current outcome based on past experience.

In the past, Prince Fusu's prophecy had come true once, and it would happen again.

This led to Prince Fusu ordering Zhang Fucheng to prepare troops in advance and to welcome the arrival of the meteor.

Only Fusu, the "instigator," knew that Mars's conjunction with Antares was a calamity for the country, because everything was too coincidental: first Mars's conjunction with Antares, then a meteorite falling.

However, this time the meteorite was not inscribed with the words "the First Emperor died and the land was divided"; it was just a piece of meteorite iron.

According to the soldiers who brought it, it was still dripping with molten iron when it landed, like a piece of red-hot iron.

Fusu believed this, because that's exactly what happened when the iron meteorite fell.

How big is this meteorite? What does it look like?

Fusu was unaware that as soon as it was transported to Guanzhong, it was placed in the emperor's northern suburban palace.

Li Si stood silently inside the hall.

Zhang Cang stood inside the hall, listening to his own breathing, repeatedly wondering what kind of questions he would be asked next.

The First Emperor, dressed in a black robe, was walking slowly, with a sword at his waist. It seemed he had come from the northern suburbs where he was taking refuge from the summer heat.

Ying Zheng glanced around and said, "Everyone, go. Fusu, stay here."

Li Si and Zhang Cang bowed together, then turned and walked out of the main hall.

Facing his father, Fusu smiled and said, "Congratulations, Father! It is rare for emperors throughout history to receive a meteorite. This is a good thing for the country."

Looking at his son's expression, Ying Zheng asked, "Why did you send Zhang Cang to send troops to Juancheng in Dongjun?"

"I have heard that Zhang Liang is hiding in Juancheng, Dongjun. Your son has ordered Zhang Cang to send men to capture Zhang Liang."

"Isn't Li Si arresting him?"

Fusu calmly replied, "But after all these years, Teacher has still gained nothing."

(End of this chapter)