The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 221 Letter Arrives in Zhongyangli
After Xia Wuqie left, Li Si remained standing in front of Lin Guang Palace.

There were many palace servants coming and going at Lin Guang Palace. After Xia Wuqie had gone far away, a eunuch finally came quickly.

After whispering a few words, Li Si followed the eunuch to the northern suburbs.

Behind the Linguang Palace is a grassland. This area was originally an arid plateau, but every spring, a large meadow appears here, which is perfect for grazing horses.

Li Si approached and saw that Prince Fusu was feeding a horse.

This is a fine chestnut horse. Although it looks young, after a few years of raising it, this warhorse will be able to gallop across the battlefield.

Li Si walked behind the First Emperor and whispered, "Good warhorse."

Ying Zheng said, "This was sent by Zhang Han."

Li Si then said, "Everyone in the court and the public is asking about the eastern tour."

Ying Zheng gazed at the warhorses in the distance and said, "I know everything. Fusu has already said it."

"I will assist you, my lord, in many matters of state."

"Hmm." Ying Zheng nodded slowly, his expression calm. He did not doubt Li Si's words, nor did he ask any further questions.

Li Si lowered his head again and said, "We will arrange for people to search for and arrest the Tian family in Qi and the several deserters in Chu."

Ying Zheng said in a low voice, "Fusu said that it is not easy to conquer this world. I think he is right. I also think that governing the world is even more difficult. If the world is not governed well, rebellions will continue, and the nobles of the six states that want to restore their kingdoms will rise up in succession."

Li Si looked at Prince Fusu, who was in the prime of his life, but did not respond to the emperor's words. He simply stood quietly to the side.

After a long while, a palace attendant hurried over and whispered a few words to the emperor.

"Let Fusu handle state affairs."

"Yes."

Upon receiving the message, the eunuch hurriedly went to Prince Fusu's side and whispered a few words to him.

After Fusu bowed and left, Ying Zheng led Li Si towards the detached palace in the northern suburbs.

The detached palace in the northern suburbs has been renovated several times, and now it looks larger than before, with several more halls, a pond, and a waterside pavilion.

As Ying Zheng and Li Si walked along the covered walkway, the curtains on both sides of the walkway swayed in the wind.

Today, the sun is shining brightly, and the emperor and prime minister, like ordinary elderly people, are sitting in the sun, enjoying the warmth of spring sunshine.

"I have been feeling very cold lately."

Li Si said, "I have been feeling this way lately. They say it's because I'm getting old. In the past, I could walk for miles in the snow without feeling cold."

Ying Zheng suddenly smiled, clearly not believing Li Si's words.

Then another eunuch brought over a scroll of documents.

Reading documents was one of the emperor's daily pastimes, and he would occasionally ask Prince Fusu what state affairs he had handled.

Ying Zheng looked at the scroll and said, "Wang Wan is dead."

Li Si hesitated and asked, "When did this happen?"

"Half a month ago, Fusu sent someone to ask what kind of rites should be followed for the burial."

Li Si said, "Wang Wan was the prime minister of Qin back then. If it were you, my lord, you would definitely think that he should be buried with the rites due to a prime minister."

Ying Zheng continued, "But Fusu said in the document that Wang Wan has been associating with many former nobles of the six states who opposed Qin and sought to restore their kingdoms. Should I still bury him with the rites due to a prime minister?"

"That's enough." Seeing that Li Si couldn't make a decision, Ying Zheng didn't force him. Instead, he said, "Let Fusu handle this matter as well. There's no need for me to concern myself with state affairs today. I'm tired."

"Yes." The eunuch took the document and hurriedly left.

Ying Zheng lay on a recliner with a bowl of hot tea on the table, gazing at the blue sky and said, "Li Si, you are right, you are old, and so am I."

Li Si remained silent once again.

Ying Zheng continued, "People, the longer they live, the more they want to live; the more they see, the more reluctant they are to leave this world. Li Si... how many more years do you think I can live?"

Seeing that Li Si was about to stand up and hurriedly bow, he realized that Li Si was about to stand up again.

Ying Zheng waved his hand, indicating that he did not need to be so polite.

Anyone would be terrified to hear such words, and Li Si was no exception.

Ying Zheng said, "Xia Wuqie said that my body can live for another twenty or thirty years as long as I rest, so you don't need to worry. I'm wondering if you, Li Si, will die before me."

Li Si forced a smile and, at the emperor's signal, sat down again.

Ying Zheng took a sip of hot tea and continued, "I don't want to make any more eastern tours. Now that Fusu is governing Guanzhong, I hardly recognize this place anymore. Guanzhong changes its appearance every year. A few days ago, I went to Weinan again, where a large workshop has been built."

“Last winter, I visited Wang Jian. At that time, Wang Jian was still alive and not bedridden. He said that a large workshop had been built in Weinan and that I should go and see it. He also said that my grandson had grown up.”

"After I last met Wang Jian, I went to Weinan and also visited my grandson. That boy looks exactly like Fusu when he was a child."

Li Si quietly wiped away his tears.

It turns out that the emperor still misses Wang Jian to this day because of his passing.

Yes, Wang Jian was too heavy a burden for the Qin Dynasty, yet he did not allow his descendants to inscribe his achievements on the stone tablet, and all the weapons buried with him were blunted.

Even after his death, Wang Jian showed his loyalty to the emperor, stating that his family was loyal to the Qin Dynasty. Apart from himself and his son Wang Ben, no other member of the Wang family would serve as a general.

Only in this way can the Wang family bloodline be preserved.

Because Wang Jian knew all too well that the emperor's heart remained cold.

Li Si wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes and said, "The young master will treat Wang Jian's descendants well."

Ying Zheng said, "Yes, Wang Jian gave all his land and property to Fusu's child. From then on, the Wang family and Fusu were together. I still remember that Fusu chose the Wang family himself. This child has never regretted his choice. Now that Wang Jian has entrusted his entire fortune to Fusu, Fusu will not let Wang Jian down."

Li Si nodded. Wang Jian had passed away, but he had given almost all of his wealth to Prince Fusu's children, and it was now being kept by Prince Fusu.

In other words, Wang Jian had already handed over all his land and property to his son, Fusu. Giving it to the child was merely an excuse to avoid public discussion.

Now, Prince Fusu is the richest person in this pass.

Li Si also took a sip of tea and said, "Your subject will also assist you, my lord."

Ying Zheng nodded once again.

As it stands, the emperor's health is indeed not in any serious condition. After leaving the northern suburban palace, Li Si sent a message to Prince Fusu.

The emperor was to recuperate at the imperial palace in the northern suburbs, and many state affairs had recently been entrusted to Prince Fusu.

The emperor did not say when he would leave the northern suburban palace, nor when he would return to Xianyang.

In Li Si's memory, although the emperor had been living in the northern suburban palace for a long time, he would still secretly visit Wang Jian in Pinyang last winter, and also go to Pinyang to see his grandson.

They would also dress in ordinary people's clothes, and wander around the pass with two or three guards, looking at everything.

This is what the emperor wants to do now.

Perhaps the emperor wanted to see what Guanzhong would look like under the rule of Prince Fusu.

Li Si continued walking along the edge of Xianyang City, heading towards the city gate. He saw a group of children walking while reciting their lessons, led by a teacher dressed in plain clothes.

The scene was peaceful and beautiful, a stark contrast to the cold and desolate city of Xianyang twenty years ago.

It's all so beautiful.

Li Si stood there for a while before entering the city, thinking that the emperor would feel much better seeing this scene.

If the world could always be like this, everyone would want to live a few more years. The longer people live, the less they want to leave.

The following day, the emperor continued to rest at the imperial palace in the northern suburbs, and the court meeting was once again presided over by Prince Fusu.

When the court meeting ended, Fusu subtly inquired about something from Xia Wuqie.

Tired of the young master's questions, Xia Wuqie said, "Young master, please rest assured, the emperor's health is fine. He's just been suffering from excessive internal heat lately and hasn't been sleeping well. He just needs to rest."

Fusu confirmed that his father was not seriously ill, but that did not hide the worry on the faces of all the court officials.

Since Wang Jian's death, the emperor has not appeared in public.

The only time was when the emperor pointed at Li Si and berated him at the Lin Guang Palace in the northern suburbs.

Actually, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing that the news of the emperor's poor health got out.

As long as his father's health is truly alright, Fusu can rest assured.

After the court meeting concluded, Fusu returned to Gaoquan Palace.

The family of three ate their meal quietly, while Jianli watched the herd of deer as he ate.

Wang Tang'er then had the deer driven away.

Li could only lower his head and continue eating attentively.

Fusu said, "If you don't concentrate on eating, be careful not to bite your tongue."

Li nodded and said, "I will concentrate."

He finished the rest of the noodles in his bowl in a few bites and said, "Li wants to write a letter to his elder brother."

Fusu said, "Write it yourself."

"But I can't write the whole word."

Fusu said, "Alright, if you have anything you want to say to Heng, let Tian An write it down for you."

"Okay." Li finally smiled.

He told Tian An to take the child to write a letter, and Fusu put some slices of meat into his wife's bowl. Looking at her occasional frown, he said, "Don't believe the rumors in the palace. Father's health is fine."

Wang Tang'er nodded and said, "Yes, I'm afraid some people will spread these words."

The politics of the court, the hearts of the people, and the intrigues and schemes were all too far removed from his wife's life. Fusu said, "It's alright, these are just rumors deliberately spread."

Wang Tang'er nodded, finally relieved to hear her husband say that.

After the meal, Fusu did not immediately go to the Prime Minister's residence to handle state affairs. Even if he went there at this time, many people in the Prime Minister's residence were still eating.

Fusu counted the deer in his household.

Tian An walked over and said, "Young master, we can't keep so many here, so they're all being kept in the West Garden."

The West Garden he mentioned is a cluster of palaces west of Gaoquan Palace, where no one usually goes, so it becomes a habitat for these deer.

The Xianyang Palace is truly enormous, so much so that many of its halls remain empty and uninhabited to this day.

What did "Li Zai Xin Du" mean?

Upon hearing this, Tian An glanced at the young master who was already taking a nap, handed him a piece of paper, and said, "It's all written here."

Fusu opened the paper and looked at it, wondering what kind of letter a five-year-old child could write. What he saw at first glance were short sentences.

"Brother, you must listen to the old master's teachings while you are away and not neglect your studies. Mother often says that if you don't study, you won't understand the principles and will just live out the rest of your life in a daze."

"Brother, you must not talk while you are away. Father said that you will suffer a lot in the army in the future."

"Brother, please make sure you have enough to eat and wear while you're away..."

Looking at the contents of the letter, which were mostly the same words, Fusu handed it to Tian An and said, "Send it over."

At this moment, Heng is learning archery from his elder brother Zhang Jing.

For a ten-year-old child, now is the best age to practice archery and lay a solid foundation.

Once you have a good physical foundation, things will be easier in the military.

It should be noted that the military discipline in the army today is extremely strict, whether it is the troops of General Meng Tian or General Zhang Han.

It's said to be handled according to military law, but once military law is violated, execution is a certainty.

Zhang Jing sat in the mulberry grove at the foot of the mountain, watching the young master draw his bow and nock an arrow.

Heng's movements are still somewhat clumsy and awkward, but this is his first time practicing. He should get much better in the future.

After practicing several times, a letter interrupted his practice.

As Heng read his younger brother's letter, he said, "When I join the army, Brother Zhang Jing will be able to reunite with General Zhang Han."

Zhang Jing tossed a stone into the distance and said, "I don't know."

Heng put the bow aside and asked, "How many years has General Zhang Han been stationed on the frontier?"

Zhang Jing smiled easily and said, "I don't know, I forgot."

Heng handed his bow to the other party.

Zhang Jing took the bow, Zhang Gong nocked the arrow, the bowstring vibrated, and the arrow accurately struck the wooden stake ten paces away, hitting the bullseye.

Heng also tried it, releasing an arrow, but found that none of them landed on the wooden stakes.

Shusun Tong and Xin Sheng sat at a distance, watching with smiles.

In the thirty-seventh year of the First Emperor's reign, it was summer.

Heavy rains fell across the Central Plains this year. In Zhongyangli Township, a middle-aged man walked home in a good mood.

He was wearing patched clothes and worn-out shoes. He walked from the county all the way to a distant village, Sishuiting.

As he passed the village entrance, the middle-aged man saw his son, Liu Fei.

Liu Fei sat to the side and smiled happily when he saw his father arrive.

Liu Ji smiled and took out a few peaches from his wet clothes and handed them to his son.

Then, a woman came out of the house. Liu Ji looked at her and said, "Magistrate Xiao has agreed to let our son go to Xianyang to study."

Upon hearing this, the woman, Madam Cao, immediately smiled and asked again, "Really?"

Liu Ji took out a piece of paper from his pocket and said, "I want Ying'er to go to Guanzhong with me."

Cao wiped her hands on her clothes and said, "Okay."

Holding the woman's hand, Liu Ji sighed deeply and comforted her, saying, "No matter what, our child must succeed."

The woman, Cao, seemed to have long been accustomed to Liu Ji's boastful words. She glared at him with a hint of displeasure before walking into the inner room.

Liu Ji smiled and pinched his son Liu Fei's cheek before leaving and heading home.

The village looked somewhat chaotic in the rain, with potholes and muddy roads, and some poultry flying across the muddy paths.

No matter how chaotic or messy the surroundings were, it couldn't dampen his beautiful mood at that moment.

Upon returning home, Liu Ji first greeted his elder brother, then visited his elderly father, before going to the east room to see Lü Zhi, his son, and his daughter.

(End of this chapter)