The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 224 Two Families

Liu Ying remembered what his grandfather had said: back when this place was under the rule of the King of Chu, people from both places had killed each other over this matter.

The laws of Qin are now much stricter; anyone caught engaging in private fights with weapons will be subjected to severe torture.

Lü Zhi looked at her son sitting outside the door, staring blankly at the moon, and felt that life was much better now.

In all the years since Lü Zhi married into the Liu family, Liu Ji had indeed never treated her poorly, and he always went along with Cao Shi's wishes.

Liu Ji gave his wife enough respect.

Now, Liu Ying, whose talent is beginning to show, is almost all her hope.

To make the family better, Empress Lü put extra effort into educating Liu Ying.

Another heavy rain fell in the Chu region this year, and a group of people were walking on the official road outside Dazexiang.

The heavy rain made many people feel unwell, but the Qin army leader continued to lead his men.

This group started from Yuyang and headed towards Dazexiang.

Among them, the garrison leader Chen Sheng led a group of people, escorted by the Qin army, all the way north from here.

The journey was arduous; we needed to walk all the way to Dazexiang before we could rest.

The Qin army conscripted soldiers from various regions almost every year, and sooner or later it would be Chen Sheng's turn.

The garrison commander Chen Sheng paused briefly. He looked at the five Qin soldiers in front of him, who were wearing armor and had swords at their waists.

It seemed the other person noticed that their steps had slowed down and was about to turn around.

Chen Sheng lowered his head and continued to follow.

Upon arriving at Dazexiang in Qixian County, the group was able to rest at the county government building.

Seeing that everyone was exhausted and disheveled, Chen Sheng had a moment where he wanted to lead his men and escape.

But the Qin soldiers pacing back and forth outside seemed to be warning the people here to obey orders.

While they were distributing their food, the Qin soldiers at the head of the army were still giving them a speech, saying that obeying military service was everyone's duty and no one could shirk it. They were to eat, rest for a day, and then continue their journey.

The next day, the heavy rain continued outside, and Chen Sheng's heart sank when he saw the heavy rain.

Why do we have to keep going in this heavy rain?

Outside, the five Qin soldiers escorting the magistrate were discussing something with him.

Chen Sheng stood by the door, listening to the two men's discussion, which seemed to involve the north.

The voices had barely stopped when the sound of warhorses' hooves could be heard outside. It seemed that someone else had arrived. The newcomer was also a Qin soldier, and he shouted, "Where are Chen Sheng and Wu Guang?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Sheng was startled.

"Chen Sheng was there, but Wu Guang was not."

The messenger handed over the document and said, "I'm taking Chen Sheng with me. The rest of you are at your disposal. The rain is too heavy, so going north can be delayed for a few days. I've already discussed this with the prefecture. The document will be sent to Xianyang in a few days, and Xianyang will know about this heavy rain in Chu."

"Yes."

The door was quickly opened, and Chen Sheng stood there dumbfounded, still not recovered from what had just been said, and subconsciously took two steps back.

But to Chen Sheng's even greater surprise, a man who looked like a Qin army general wanted to take him away.

After receiving the two documents, the magistrate opened them, carefully examined them, and stamped them with his seal to confirm their accuracy. He then allowed the Qin general to take Chen Sheng away.

The people here don't know why the Qin general took the village head away.

They also heard that the general was already waiting for Chen Sheng in Dazexiang. The crowd speculated for a while, but after all, this matter had nothing to do with them. Going to the north to serve in the army and returning home as soon as possible was the most important thing.

The Qin army leader said to his men, "Once we reach the north, you will still be able to read and write." "General, we will still be able to read?"

"Hmm." The general nodded with a rather dignified air and said, "When you go to the army, you must study and be able to distinguish right from wrong, so that you will not get into trouble with others in the future."

"General, what has our platoon leader done wrong?" someone asked curiously.

Their village chief was Chen Sheng, and everyone still harbored resentment after he was taken away.

After Chen Sheng was taken away, they encountered two other groups of people heading north. They talked with them and learned about Chen Sheng's whereabouts.

If the general could say it himself, everyone would feel much more at ease.

"Don't worry, he's also going north. You'll see him when you get to the Great Wall."

Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

But as for the reason... even the Qin soldiers escorting them didn't know; they were just following orders.

The coincidence is that this military order came from the Prime Minister's residence.

It was indeed unbelievable, but that did not prevent the conscription of soldiers.

Every year, some people return, and some leave.

Several Qin soldiers sat together again to discuss the matter. This year, the conscription of soldiers was most urgent in Chu, and Chu also covered the largest area.

This had to be taken very seriously by the Prime Minister's office.

The heavy rain finally stopped, but the ground was still wet. Fortunately, everyone had started a fire to keep warm.

Even though it's summer, it's still quite cool at night after a heavy rain. Getting caught in the rain and then being exposed to the night wind can easily make you sick, so you need to light a fire to keep warm.

Five Qin soldiers sat around a campfire. The leader said, "I heard that the heavy rain in Chu has caused a lot of delays. The river in the south has also overflowed, flooding large areas of farmland."

Another person said, "This rain couldn't have come at the worst possible time."

"Last winter, the Prime Minister's office said that there would probably be heavy rain this year. The order has been issued by the Prime Minister's office, but there are still several counties in Chu that do not take it seriously. I'm afraid that people in several counties will miss their military service, and many people will be arrested."

The men could only guarantee that there would be no problems with the military service in their own area. Then someone else said, "Last year, some people said that the emperor was seriously ill and neglected state affairs, but this early spring, the emperor was still hunting with Prince Fusu."

At this point, the Qin soldier in charge glared at them, and the others fell silent, no longer daring to discuss the matter.

This summer, the land of Chu was particularly turbulent.

Even Liu Ji, who was at Sishui Pavilion, noticed it.

At first, Liu Ji did not know why their county magistrates always left, often not returning for three to five days. But when Liu Ji heard that Qin troops were frequently moving around in various counties, he found out that they were not aware of the situation.

Even if there were Qin troops in the past, it shouldn't have been on such a large scale.

That's when I vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

When the county magistrate returned again today, Liu Ji, who was the head of the village, was summoned to a meeting.

In the village of Sishuiting, Liu Fei was playing with some children when he saw Liu Ying standing in the distance.

Just as he was about to greet Liu Ying with a smile and play with her, he saw Liu Ying's birth mother standing not far away. Liu Fei then withdrew his gaze and walked away, pretending nothing had happened and continued playing with the other children.

After returning home, Liu Fei told his mother about it, and he noticed the unease that flashed in her eyes.

"Don't worry, Mother. I didn't call Liu Ying, nor did I disturb her."

Looking at the sensible Liu Fei, Cao Shi felt a lump in her throat and whispered, "When you grow up and achieve something, we'll be able to live a better life."

Liu Fei nodded emphatically and said, "I will definitely study hard with the teacher."

(End of this chapter)