The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 225 The Uneasy Land of Chu

After finishing his meal, Liu Fei sat in front of his house. Several women from the neighborhood came over to ask him something, and the group was talking.

They were saying that the rainy season is over, so why is there still such heavy rain?

This heavy rain has caused flooding in many places, and there have been too many troublesome things this summer.

Liu Fei sat in front of the house, listening to people's conversations. His gaze was fixed on the rain in the distance. Fortunately, the area had not been flooded.

Before long, Liu Fei saw his father, whose face was full of worry.

Liu Ji saw his son, walked over and pinched his son's cheek, then went inside.

The other women also left, and Liu Fei could hear his father and mother talking.

Listening to these words from outside, the voices sounded muffled and indistinct, saying that many places had recently suffered from severe flooding, and that many areas would likely be in turmoil.

Moreover, the father repeatedly emphasized that it was the county magistrate who said it, and added that it would have been better if Xiao He were here at that time.

After saying that, Liu Fei, who was sitting in front of the door, saw his father leave in a hurry.

After that, almost every night, Liu Fei would hear people walking past his house; they were all fellow villagers from Sishuiting.

My mother has been sleeping lightly lately, and she often stays by the window.

When daytime arrived, Liu Fei left his house and went to the study as usual.

The teacher was, as usual, boiling soy milk.

Liu Fei said, "Master, why are there always people walking around at night?"

Jing said, “Recently, there have been floods in various places. Some families have run out of food, and some people will cause trouble. At this time, everyone must take good care of their own food. Your father is a very capable man. Every night, he leads the villagers to guard the various intersections in the village.”

Hearing this, Liu Fei felt much more at ease, realizing that the people walking around at night were all from his hometown.

He took a sip of hot soy milk and asked, "Will the Master's food be stolen?"

Upon hearing this, Jing said, "I have nothing but books here. The only things I can eat besides beans are the duck eggs you brought last time. There's nothing else here."

Liu Fei nodded again.

Every morning, Liu Fei is the first to arrive.

The child probably didn't sleep well last night either, because he came earlier than usual.

Jing then asked him to sweep the floor, wipe the tables, and clean the classroom.

In return, I would privately give him a half-hour lesson.

Another half hour passed, and the rest of the children arrived.

However, many children did not come today, and Jing could understand why they did not come; each family was guarding their own grain.

Liu Ji is now leading his men to guard the village entrance and protect the village's grain.

Once the bandits appeared, Liu Ji would lead his men to fight them to the death.

This was permitted by the county magistrate, and it is also a temporary expedient.

As a result, people everywhere are now on edge and wary of each other.

There are rumors circulating today that a troop of soldiers in Wuzhong has rebelled, and a group sent to serve in the army was killed by the Qin army for causing trouble.

I also heard that the Tian brothers in Di County of Qi Commandery have rebelled and are fighting against the Qin army.

These messages, some true and some false, reached Zhongyangli.

Lately, Liu Ji has been muttering the same phrase repeatedly: "If only Xiao He were here."

This is also because the current county magistrate is really not a person who is good at making decisions.

"Something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened!" someone rushed over in a panic.

Upon seeing the visitor, Liu Ji asked, "What happened?"

The man first gulped down a mouthful of cold water, then looked at the many older men present and said, "The Tian brothers have been killed by Xu Fu, the magistrate of Langya County."

Liu Ji remained calm upon hearing the news.

This incident, which occurred in Langya County, has nothing to do with his Zhongyang Village; they are hundreds of miles apart.

However, upon further thought, Liu Ji suddenly realized a connection: his letter to Xiao He was delivered through the magistrate of Langya County.

The flood lasted for half a month before it subsided. After the floodwaters receded, people returned to their fields to work.

These days, Liu Ji sees Qin soldiers passing by every two or three days.

It seems that these Qin soldiers had made arrangements in advance. If these Qin soldiers hadn't been moving around in Zhongyangli and other counties, the Chu region might have really been in chaos.

These Qin soldiers acted like nails, preventing people in various regions from causing trouble.

The rainy season is truly over, and the scorching sun shines on the land of Chu once again, revealing the white cracks that appear on the fields.

Liu Ji finally breathed a sigh of relief; the two hundred households in Sishui Pavilion had escaped this calamity.

If a band of bandits had come to plunder their village, Liu Ji would have had no choice but to fight to the death.

Under Qin law, if Liu Ji were to run away, he too would be executed.

Fortunately, those Qin soldiers were very capable.

A month after the flood subsided, Liu Ji heard news from the county that Yin Tong, the governor of Kuaiji Commandery, had been captured by the Qin army.

This news was even less relevant to Liu Ji, as his home was too far from Kuaiji County.

However, Liu Ji, who always liked to ask questions, still couldn't resist asking one: "How was Yin Tong arrested?"

The magistrate sighed, "A scholar named Han Zhong died during the emperor's eastern tour."

Liu Ji nodded slowly, appearing extremely serious, but in reality, he was full of curiosity and hoped the other party would continue.

The magistrate continued, "The Qin army tracked down to Kuaiji Commandery and discovered that Yin Tong was harboring a murderer, and he was sentenced to death." Liu Ji asked in surprise, "This Yin Tong is so audacious?"

"Now it's all right, the man has been arrested." The magistrate looked at the village chiefs in front of him and said in a low voice, "You all remember this well: if any stranger comes to your village, you must inform this county."

"Yes."

Upon hearing this, the village chiefs all bowed in respect.

Actually, the magistrate probably didn't know much either. Liu Ji found it quite amusing to see the magistrate trying to establish his authority, but he still bowed respectfully with a serious expression, showing as much respect as possible.

After leaving the county government, Liu Ji returned to his Sishui Pavilion and continued his peaceful and leisurely life.

Upon arriving at the village entrance, Liu Ji held Liu Fei in his arms, pinching his son's cheeks as he pondered the recent unrest in various counties and prefectures of Chu, noting that even the magistrate of his own county was preoccupied with his own affairs.

Finally, Liu Ji sighed in utter frustration, "If only Xiao He were here."

Liu Fei asked, "Who is Xiao He?"

"He's my best brother, Liu Ji. He even hugged you before, don't you remember?"

"baby……"

Seeing that the boy had really forgotten, Liu Ji pinched his son's cheek hard again.

Liu Fei covered his face, looking aggrieved, yet unable to escape.

Cao, who was picking vegetables nearby, also had a smile on her face.

After holding his eldest son for a while, Liu Ji went home.

Along the way, the lives of the people in Sishui Pavilion remained largely unchanged.

Upon returning home, Lü Zhi greeted him and asked, "Have you reported the matter of guarding the fields to the county magistrate this year?"

Liu Ji changed out of his muddy boots and said, "Yes, the county magistrate will submit it to the prefecture."

Lü Zhi nodded with relief and said, "In this way, the people in the county will also know that you, as the head of the village, are fulfilling your duties."

Sometimes, Liu Ji disliked Lü Zhi's heart. This woman had a big heart; she didn't want the Liu family she married into to remain complacent.

Of course, the promotion orders issued by the Prime Minister's Office in Xianyang had become something that officials in various places longed for.

Liu Ji was the same.

When the family ate, Liu Ying would read a book while eating.

Liu Ji sat at the same table with his elder brother and father.

Empress Lü and her child sat at a separate table.

While they were eating, Liu Ji told his elder brother and father what he had heard in the county that day.

Old Master Liu asked, "Did someone report Yin Tong to the Qin army?"

Liu Ji nodded without saying anything more.

The eldest brother of the Liu family looked shocked, as if he had just realized that such a thing existed in the world.

No matter how chaotic or chaotic things are outside, as long as everything is fine at home, Liu Ji can continue to live happily.

Just as Liu Ji's family was having a meal, a troop of Qin soldiers passed through Fengyi and headed towards Kuaiji County.

What Liu Ji didn't know was that the situation in Chu was far more tense than he imagined. This year's heavy rains caused a major flood, and because of this flood, it seemed that the old nobles of Chu who were hiding in various places were about to rise up in rebellion.

Moreover, there are people in various places who are refusing military service and are fleeing.

At this moment, the gates of Kuaiji Commandery were tightly closed, and the black flags on the city walls declared that the area was under the control of the Qin army and was outside Kuaiji Commandery.

When Xiang Yu saw the Qin army hanging the head of Shenmu on the city wall, he glared at them and was about to charge forward.

Huan Chu reached out and pressed down on Xiang Yu, who was about to explode in anger. However, Xiang Yu was too strong. He only stood up slightly, and Huan Chu could not hold down his shoulder and almost fell to the ground.

Xiang Liang said, "Yu'er, don't be impulsive."

“Shenmu is my uncle’s best assistant.”

Xiang Liang said with a serious expression, "Do you think you alone can defeat the entire Qin army of a city?"

Xiang Yu's expression was filled with anger. Of course, he wanted to say that he could, but under his uncle's gaze, he held back and took several heavy breaths.

Xiang Bo said, "This Yin Tong is truly a fool. How did he get caught by the Qin army?"

Xiang Zhuang also said, "It's a pity. We gave Yin Tong so much money in order to stay in Kuaiji Commandery, and now all of that money has ended up in the hands of the Qin army."

Xiang Bo slapped his thigh in frustration and said, "What a pity! How did the Qin army find out so quickly?"

Xiang Liang glanced suspiciously at Kuaiji County, then led the group into the crowd in the rain. From now on, they would have to continue living in hiding.

Once Yin Tong confesses about the Xiang clan, the Qin army will inevitably search for them everywhere.

Even more unfortunately, the connections and relationships they built in Kuaiji Commandery will be completely uprooted by the Qin army, making it even more difficult for the uncle and nephew to survive.

Xiang Liang couldn't understand how the Qin army found out that Shenmu was in Kuaiji County, and how he happened to be captured by the Qin army.

So many years have passed since the First Emperor's eastern tour, yet these Qin soldiers are still relentlessly pursuing the case of Han Zhong's murder.

Xiang Zhuang said, "Now that I think about it, I shouldn't have killed Han Zhong. If a scholar dies, the Qin army will definitely keep pursuing him relentlessly."

"There are still people in Wuzhong who can take us in," Xiang Liang said, only saying that.

The uncle and nephews walked on in silence once again.

Xiang Yu remembered Jing, whom he had met in Wu, and the words he had once spoken to him.

Thunder rumbled intermittently from the horizon, but Xiang Yu continued his steps. He looked at his uncle's back, the one who had killed Han Zhong out of suspicion.

I thought the Qin army would give up if they couldn't find any clues, but who knew they would investigate for so many years.

(End of this chapter)