The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 204 was normal.
Seeing that his father remained silent, Fusu continued, "Unfortunately, I acted on my own initiative but failed to find Zhang Liang's whereabouts."

Ying Zheng looked at his son and said, "The people of Dongjun are not doing well."

"Your subject will send people to appease the people."

The eunuch stood to one side, bowing respectfully.

Of course, the emperor would not blame the young master for acting on his own initiative.

Because this country has long been inseparable from the prince.
The young master's dispatch of a troop of soldiers to Dongjun is within the authority of the Shaofu Ling (Minister of the Imperial Household).

Building the nation and conscripting laborers were also the responsibilities of the Minister of the Imperial Household. He could dispatch some troops on ordinary days, but the number was not large.

The country cannot do without this father and son, and fortunately, there was Fusu's arrangement.

Ying Zheng closed his eyes, leaned back against the chair, and said in a low voice, "You and the Prime Minister can arrange the rest."

Fusu bowed once more and took his leave.

Outside Zhangtai Palace, Li Si and Zhang Cang stood there, letting the intense sunlight beat down on them.

Zhang Cang's back was soaked with sweat, and sweat was still dripping from his forehead. The sweat would evaporate quickly after it dripped to the ground.

It was indeed unbearably hot that day; even the air felt hot.

Li Si, standing to the side, wasn't much better off.

What made Li Si and Zhang Cang somewhat uneasy was that they didn't know what the young master and the emperor had said in the hall, whether there would be any conflict, or whether it would cause a father-son dispute.

Li Si felt that if he died, he would die; this huge matter was nothing more than the loss of his head.

But Prince Fusu must not be allowed to have any accidents.

He reached out and touched the official robe, only to find it was quite hot from the sun.

Seeing that the young master had come out first, Li Si quickly turned around and bowed, saying, "Young master."

Fusu stepped forward and said, "My father has some instructions."

Li Si said, "Please speak, sir."

Fusu said, "I will let you and I jointly manage the rest of the matters."

Upon hearing this, Li Si relaxed considerably, it seemed the emperor still intended to go to the northern suburbs to escape the summer heat.

And the country remains safe and sound.

After Li Si understood, he gave Zhang Cang a reassuring look, and the three of them walked down the steps of Zhangtai Palace.

After meeting the prince at Zhangtai Palace, the emperor rested for half an hour before returning to the northern suburban palace.

This summer not only arrived early, but it also came fiercely.

The three returned to the Prime Minister's residence. The busy officials there were all relieved to see Prime Minister Li Si, Prince Fusu, and Zhang Cang returning together.

After returning to the Prime Minister's residence, Fusu began to deal with the day's state affairs.

Only a month has passed since Mars was positioned above Antares, and the meteorite from Dongjun has just been transported to Xianyang, but the affairs of state remain unchanged, and the important matters of the country cannot be disrupted because of this.

Today, the Prime Minister sat in his residence with a more stern expression, which was noticed by the officials in the Prime Minister's residence. He was probably warning everyone not to lose their composure.

After reviewing the documents sent by various counties, Fusu learned that not only Weinan and Weibei, but also Longxi were beginning to experience water shortages.

The sweltering heat of this year has barely begun, yet signs of drought have already appeared.

Fusu said, "Cheng Miao."

"The minister is here."

"Have someone go and inform all the counties north of the Wei River to prepare for water storage, dig water cellars, and then send troops to each prefecture to inquire about the drought situation."

Cheng Miao nodded hurriedly and said, "I'll go arrange it right away."

Most counties could only report the situation, but the Shaofu Ling (Minister of the Imperial Household Department) needed to make judgments based on these reports.

The Minister of the Imperial Household Department was responsible for water conservancy projects and the construction of canals. All matters involving construction had to be approved by the Minister of the Imperial Household Department.

The Right Chancellor has been busy with matters in the South and the North lately, while the Prime Minister is in charge of overall national affairs.

That's roughly how this country operates.

As the Minister of the Imperial Household Department, he was the direct superior of the construction of each county, so he had to inquire about it before Fusu informed the Prime Minister.

The heat subsided considerably just as night was about to fall.

After finishing his business, Zhang Cang bid farewell to the young master and left the Prime Minister's residence ahead of him. However, as soon as he stepped out, he bumped into the Prime Minister, who was standing outside looking at the stars.

Seeing the Prime Minister's look, Zhang Cang understood and followed.

In the morning, the two stood outside Zhangtai Palace for an hour.

Looking back now, both of them were worried for Prince Fusu.

Li Si hesitated and asked, "Did you ask me to send troops to Dongjun earlier just to capture Zhang Liang?"

Zhang Cang replied, "Young Master also said that if anything unusual happens, we must go and check it out immediately."

"Why does the young master want to capture Zhang Liang?"

Zhang Cang wanted to say that the Prime Minister's efforts to capture Zhang Liang had yielded no results over the years, which sometimes made him suspect that the Prime Minister was too soft-hearted.

Because of Han Fei's past relationship with Zhang Liang, the Prime Minister suspected that he felt indebted to Han Fei, which is why he kept Zhang Liang alive.

However, Zhang Cang would not say that. He said, "I don't know either."

Li Si nodded and did not ask any further questions.

There are many legends about the emperor in Xianyang, such as the story of digging a canal and finding dragon bones. These stories have been passed down in a mysterious and fantastical way.

Now we also have the armillary sphere, Mars guarding the heart, and the meteor shower of Dongjun.

These events would become topics of conversation, turning into fantastical stories about the emperor or Prince Fusu.

For a ruler, such rumors can also be beneficial.

In Jingye County, young master Heng sat under a mulberry tree, looking at the green mulberries on the branches, and said, "After Mars guarded the heart, another meteor fell in Dongjun. There are rumors that Qin is going to perish. Why doesn't Father kill them all?"

Shusun Tong explained, “What’s the use of killing them? Back then, in order to unify the world, standardize writing, unify the width of carts, and destroy local clan systems to implement Qin laws, how many people did Qin kill and how many people did it arrest, but it still didn’t achieve much.”

Heng then said, "Wouldn't it be better if Father killed them?"

"If Qin were to expend a great deal of manpower and resources to capture them, the nation's strength would be bogged down. How could the country then be governed and stabilized? Even Shang Yang's reforms were aimed at ensuring the stability of the nation, which is why he strictly prohibited private feuds."

Are private fights really that harmful?

Shusun Tong patiently taught the young master, answering all his questions without reservation.

Before the Qin reforms, Shang Yang had already discovered that private feuds were rampant among the Qin people. At that time, the Qin people often gathered in groups, and once the scale of private feuds expanded, hundreds of people from two groups would often be involved, resulting in countless deaths and injuries.

Furthermore, the prevalence of private feuds in the Qin state would make it difficult to enforce the law.

Shang Yang's reforms were certainly good, but they did kill a lot of people at the time.

Looking at the young master's puzzled expression and then at the children playing in the distance, Shusun Tong said earnestly, "Your father said that the future of this country has never been on the shoulders of this old man, nor has it been on the shoulders of those former nobles of the six kingdoms. It is only on your shoulders, young master, and on the shoulders of all you children. You are the future of this country." Hearing this, Heng felt much more uplifted; the word "future" carried great weight.

Shusun Tong continued, “Never underestimate yourselves. Whether it’s teaching in rural areas or taking exams, the old nobles of the six states and those who want to rebel against Qin will eventually be buried in the ground. The most important and precious thing in this world is actually you.”

When he said these words, Shusun Tongfu looked into the distance, saying that children are the future of a country.

Therefore, it is extremely important to teach them well.

As long as these children exist, no matter what happens to this country in the future, it won't get any worse.

How much worse can it really be?

This country has come from a time of food shortages. Take Weinan, for example. When the people here came to Guanzhong, they had nothing. Now, it has taken them more than ten years to live a prosperous life.

As for those old nobles who spread rumors about celestial signs or plotted to overthrow Qin, for Prince Fusu, it would be a waste of manpower and resources not to use the strength for building the country on large-scale searches.

Instead, the nation's resources should be used for national development. Currently, the country still lacks sufficient officials and those capable of building the nation.

A nation's strength is a long-term process of accumulation; it cannot be achieved in three to five years or with just a few words.

Furthermore, if they were to raise an army, it would actually be easier to deal with them.

Not long after, Zhang Ping returned from teaching.

He is already a junior teacher in Weinan.

Shusun Tongdao: "A letter has arrived from the Hexi Corridor. Go and take a look."

After paying his respects, Zhang Ping hurried home.

Zhang Ping's home is a courtyard at the foot of Shangyan Mountain, where he has lived since he was a child.

Gongzi Heng also left the mulberry grove with Zhang Ping.

This courtyard was built by Zhang Han himself, using his bare hands to pull the wood and carry the stones bit by bit; it was Zhang Ping's home.

Whenever General Zhang Han needed to send a letter home, he would have someone deliver it to this house.

Heng checked the stove, preparing today's meal, and asked, "How is the Hexi Corridor?"

Zhang Ping said, "They said I should follow the old master and study hard, but they didn't say anything else."

Heng also glanced at the handwriting on the paper, and indeed there were only a few sentences.

The Zhang family has had a very difficult time. I heard that it was extremely difficult for General Zhang Han to start a family. He was even looked down upon by the Dong family.

But things have gotten better now; the Dong family now has to rely on General Zhang Han.

Zhang Han is now a great general defending the northwest border, and he may well become a great general like Meng Tian in the future.

The rumors of Mars guarding the heart of the sky and the meteor shower in Dongjun did not cause chaos in the Qin Dynasty, and the country remained orderly.

Xiao He, who was serving in Weibei, received an imperial edict from Xianyang ordering all counties to begin storing water.

There had been no rain in Guanzhong for five days, so Xiao He ordered people to start digging water cellars. There was a type of soil in Guanzhong that was very suitable for building water cellars.

Xiao He was not accustomed to building water cellars. He was a native of Chu, where the Jianghuai River system was abundant, so such water cellars were rarely built.

The residents of Jingyang County were all migrants from various places, and most of them were not from Guanzhong and had no experience in building water cellars.

Therefore, Xiao He and Lao Wu personally visited various counties and found several craftsmen who could build water cellars.

However, the craftsmen asked how much they would be paid from the very beginning.

It would be best to leave this matter to Uber for negotiation.

Jingyang County is still very poor. Two years of farming and land management have only been enough to feed the people in the county. Xiao He has only been here for half a year and has not sent any letters home.

He came here to serve as a county magistrate with Cao Shen and a few scrolls of books, without any prior experience.

The county government of Jingyang County remained unchanged, with no change in its people and the county government itself. Life was also very difficult, even more so than when they were in Tongguan.

Therefore, in order to maximize his own interests, Xiao He needed Lao Wu, an old man from Qin, to persuade him.

After discussing with the five craftsmen, Old Wu quickly returned and reported: "County Magistrate Xiao, according to the customs of craftsmen in Guanzhong, digging a water cellar requires three dou of grain. I discussed with them that the county cannot provide three dou of grain, but we should share water with them. If there is a drought in Guanzhong, we should give them water."

The other party offered these terms only because Lao Wu had fought for them, and Xiao He was naturally willing to accept them; it was already a very low cost.

Immediately, Xiao He ordered the craftsmen to go to the county to dig water cellars.

For several days in a row, even after the five water cellars in the county were dug, it still didn't rain in Guanzhong, and the scorching air distorted the distant scenery.

Under the shade of trees or by the river, people of all ages gathered to cool off, while many able-bodied men went down to the fields to check on the grain.

This kind of weather continued for another half month. Just when the fields were almost dry and turning white due to lack of water, thunder finally rumbled in the sky.

Thick, dark clouds rolled in, obscuring the sun; a thunderclap streaked across the sky, and torrential rain poured down.

Finally, it rained that day.

Old Wu had just come from the fields and was sitting in front of the county government building, washing his muddy feet with rainwater.

When Cao Can first arrived in Jingyang County, he had some reservations about Lao Wu. However, after spending more time with him, he came to think that Lao Wu was a good man, and the two got along quite well.

Old Wu stepped forward and said, "This rain is heavy."

The heavy rain broke apart on the ground, stirring up a large mist. Cao Can said, "We can finally rest assured."

Old Wu walked barefoot to the eaves, nodded and said, "Yes, I'm relieved."

The thunder lasted for about half an hour before it stopped, but the rain continued into the night.

The next day, just as dawn broke, Xiao He walked out of the county government office and saw the blue sky in the east. A steward brought him a leather bag and said, "County Magistrate Xiao, here is your letter."

As the sun rises and the sky gradually clears of lightning, people will face the sweltering heat again today, after yesterday's thunderstorm.

Xiao He didn't bother to read the letter; he went to check on the water cellar first.

All five water cellars were full of water. Xiao He went to see them all, and then had them sealed tightly and assigned several villagers to take turns guarding them.

The sweltering heat of this year has only just begun and is far from over.

Whether there will be a water shortage later is still uncertain, but at least I'll feel more at ease knowing that the tank is full of water.

First, they checked the water storage situation, and then they went to see the situation in the fields.

Old Wu was also by the edge of the field, watching over the wheat with several other villagers.

Xiao He squatted down by the edge of the field, looked at the wheat ears, and whispered, "How is this wheat?"

Old Wu replied, "Reporting to Magistrate Xiao, the wheat is fine."

Xiao He then asked, "Will this affect this year's harvest?"

Old Wu frowned and said, "It will be another month before we can harvest the grain, so there's no rush."

As noon approached, the sweltering heat made it impossible to lift one's head. When Xiao He returned to the county government, he saw Cao Shen lying asleep on the ground.

For Cao Shen, the summers in Guanzhong were even hotter than in Chu, and the air was very dry, making it very uncomfortable to breathe.

(End of this chapter)