The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 226 He'll Be Back
Xiang Yu thought of something else: there was a man named Zhang Liang whom the Qin army was still searching for, and had been searching for him ever since.

Moreover, given that it was the murder of a PhD, Qin Jun was naturally determined to investigate it thoroughly.

Xiang Liang led the group to a dilapidated house by the roadside to stay, and watched as his nephew brought out dry wood to start a fire for warmth.

Even now, Xiang Liang still can't understand how Canmu, an extremely meticulous person, could have left clues after killing Han Zhong.

The Qin army said that someone had reported them, but who reported them?

Does anyone know that it was Canmu who killed Han Zhong?
However, after receiving the report, the Qin army quickly arrested Canmu in Kuaiji County, and at the same time captured Yin Tong, and learned that Yin Tong had been bribed to harbor the criminal Canmu.

When the emperor was on his eastern tour, a scholar from Qin died, which was no small matter.

But the Qin army had searched for so many years without finding anything, so how did they suddenly find Kuaiji County and capture the ginseng tree so quickly?

All of this was so bizarre that Xiang Liang couldn't understand it.

First, we can rule out the two nephews, as they had no idea how Han Zhong died or that he was killed by Shenmu.

Xiang Bo knew even less, as he wasn't in Pengcheng at the time.

Xiang Liang felt increasingly uneasy, stemming from his uncertainty about who his adversary was and how they had managed to uncover all this information.

Those from Kuaiji Commandery will soon reveal the identities of the uncle and nephew, after which the Qin army will search for them throughout the region.

That night, after his two nephews had fallen asleep, Xiang Bo said, "I'll send someone to look for Zhang Liang again. He's a good friend of mine, and I'm sure he can take us in."

Xiang Liang slowly shook his head, looking at the fire without saying a word.

As for Zhang Liang, whom Xiang Bo mentioned, Xiang Liang knew that Xiang Bo only regarded Zhang Liang as a friend. If Zhang Liang truly regarded Xiang Bo as a friend, he should have come to Chu to meet him back then, instead of repeatedly declining.

We can't count on Zhang Liang.

When Canmu was captured, he fought to the death with the Qin army, but he did not reveal the whereabouts or relationship of his uncle and nephew.

Furthermore, his murder in the market gave the uncle and nephews the opportunity to escape from Kuaiji County.

Since then, the city gates of Kuaiji County have never been opened.

In contrast, while the land of Chu was shrouded in the shadow of rebellion, Zhang Liang lived a peaceful life in Shu.

At this moment in Shu, Zhang Liang was eating rice, with a bowl of dried bamboo shoots stewed with cured meat in front of him.

This is a meal between Zhang Liang and Ju.

"There are exams in Guanzhong again this year. You're still young and you have a chance."

“When I reached the age of Fu Ji in Tongguan, I went to the Northwest to join the army. After I finished my military service and returned, I thought I could enter officialdom through the examination. But after the examination, I realized that I was too mediocre. I was not suitable for taking exams. I was more suited to teaching.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Liang whispered again, "You just don't want to travel the Shu Road again."

Ju said, "I'm so tired, I'm even planning to settle down here."

"Great, which girl have you taken a fancy to?"

"All the girls here adore Master Han, so why isn't Master Han married?"

Just as Zhang Liang was about to speak, Ju added, "That's right, it's the Master's family matter..."

Zhang Liang smiled casually and said, "Actually, it doesn't matter that so many years have passed, I just don't want to get married."

Ju then said, "Sigh, I still need to go home before I get married, and take my daughter back with me."

In fact, Ju really did have a girl he liked in Shu. The people of Shu were very fond of the teacher from Guanzhong who came to teach in Shu. At least Zhang Liang could feel that the people here respected him very much.

Ju planned to marry the girl here first, and then take her to Guanzhong.

Under the auspices of Zhang Liang and the head of the village in Sichuan, Ju married a girl from Sichuan.

The marriage rules and customs in Shu (Sichuan) were also modified according to Qin law, and according to Zhang Liang, they were simpler than before.

After the identities of both parties were verified by the village head, a marriage certificate from Bashu was issued. This marriage certificate was protected by Qin law, and the betrothal gift was thirty coins.

Furthermore, the marriage in Jiangyuan County was reported to Chengdu Prefecture and registered.

The bamboo reed pipe is a folk musical instrument often used when people celebrate happy occasions. People cannot privately cast or use chime bells.

Therefore, most of the instruments they used were musical instruments like the bamboo reed pipe.

The magistrate of this area is the witness to the marriage. If the man cannot afford thirty coins, he can use two bundles of hemp as a betrothal gift.

The villagers in Jiangyuan County actually know how well each family is doing, and everyone's level of wealth is about the same.

However, along the riverbank, shamans were still chanting wedding songs.

The strict Qin laws and the customs of Shu seemed to have merged at this moment.

Three days after Ju Cheng's wedding, he was going to take his wife back to Guanzhong.

Zhang Liang escorted the young couple into the mountains of Sichuan and Chongqing, where they followed the mountain path all the way to Guanzhong.

Seeing the panda sitting at his feet looking in the direction Ju had walked away, Zhang Liang patted its back and said, "Let's go, he'll come back."

The plump panda followed quietly behind Zhang Liang, half a step behind.

This bear has lived with Zhang Liang for many years and they are now very close.

This bear is eating more and more, consuming a lot of bamboo every day. As a result, Zhang Liang is busy cleaning the house every day.

Sometimes, Zhang Liang would get so tired of letting the bear wreak havoc on his house that he would think, "Why keep a bear? It eats so much and is so hard to care for." After Ju left, Zhang Liang resumed his solitary life. To solve his water problem, he would go to the river to fetch water and carry it home. He also grew some vegetables near his house and had enough rice from the county magistrate.

As for the bear, it can eat an endless supply of bamboo shoots as long as it goes into the mountains.

Living alone is peaceful. Apart from teaching every day, Zhang Liang spends most of his time alone, reading books and eating alone.

As dusk fell, Zhang Liang sat down beside the panda and picked off its lice.

The other red pandas stayed at the house for a while, and they would come to visit occasionally, but they didn't stay there permanently.

Zhang Liang patiently picked the lice off the panda.

As the sun set and the evening breeze rustled through the trees in the mountains of Sichuan, Zhang Liangcai felt that autumn was approaching.

When Zhang Liang got up early this morning, he looked at the notices posted in the county and realized that today was the White Dew season.

To help people get used to the twenty-four solar terms, Prince Fusu ordered each county to post a notice about each solar term.

As soon as the county magistrate stepped out of the county government office, he saw Zhang Liang and greeted him with a smile, "Master Han."

Zhang Liang bowed and said, "Greetings, Magistrate."

After the two parties reached an agreement, the county magistrate handed Zhang Liang a document.

In fact, a lot of things have happened in Chu recently, and many documents have been sent to Shu. Even this county magistrate knows that there is a prefect, Yin Tong, who is harboring criminals.

Yin Tong is being escorted to Guanzhong.

It is said that Yin Tong confessed to many former nobles in Shu, and now people are being arrested in various counties of Chu. Most of the former nobles in Chu who are associated with Yin Tong will be arrested and brought to Xianyang for questioning.

After reading the document, Zhang Liang calmly said, "I never expected such a thing to happen in Chu."

The magistrate continued, "Recently, Prince Fusu and Prime Minister Li Si have been in charge of state affairs. The matter of Yin Tong is to inform all the counties and prefectures in the country."

The document was written in great detail, clearly explaining the cause and effect of the matter. It started with the death of a scholar from Qilu named Han Zhong, and the Qin army traced the incident all the way to Kuaiji County.

"I'll start by teaching the class."

The magistrate, regaining his composure, took back the document and said, "I will inform the heads of each township of this document."

Zhang Liang bowed and then went to teach.

The matter concerning the Chu region may be related to Xiang Liang, or perhaps to other people, or even to other anti-Qin forces.

But for Prime Minister Li Si or Prince Fusu, this was a good opportunity to dismantle the anti-Qin forces in Chu.

Arresting Yin Tong will likely implicate many former nobles of the Chu state.

Zhang Liang walked into the bookstore, where a group of children were already sitting. Having put aside their worries, they began today's lesson.

After leaving Shu, Ju returned to Shu a month later.

He also brought a lot of cloth and wheat.

This reminded Zhang Liang that Ju's grandfather was the renowned craftsman Qingbi of Qin. Although Ju was usually very simple, he was actually from a wealthy family.

After Ju returned, the panda became much more lively, walking back and forth constantly.

In the past, Ju would dig up the tenderest and best bamboo shoots for this bear every day, so how could it not miss them?

Next to the academy in Jiangyuan County, Ju built a house out of bamboo; this is his home.

When Ju brought a bag of wheat to see him, Zhang Liang said, "I thought you weren't coming back."

Ju replied, "I plan to stay in Shu from now on; I don't want to leave."

Is there something wrong at home?

Ju shook his head and said, "When I returned to Guanzhong, they were holding an exam. This year, many outstanding young people came from all over the country. My brothers are all very good. Some are leading troops, some are continuing to be craftsmen, and some are serving as officials in Guanzhong. Only I am the most mediocre. For me, teaching is the easiest thing. I told my grandfather that I want to teach in Sichuan for the rest of my life."

"Where's your father?"

"He's overseeing the construction of the Great Wall and hasn't been home for several years..."

Ju had a large family. His grandfather had many sons and grandsons. The family became prominent because Qingbi built Tongguan City for Prince Fusu.

But his entire family was serving Qin, and his father and brothers all had their own affairs to attend to in various places.

Zhang Liang listened as he recounted the family's history of being separated from their large family for long periods.

“My grandfather always said that once the affairs of the Qin Dynasty are finished and the country is well-built, my father and brothers will come back.”

Zhang Liang smiled but did not respond to his words.

Ju looked at his wife, who was talking to the villagers, and said, "Master Han, I think that after teaching for a lifetime, this country should be able to be built up by now."

Zhang Liang could tell that this child loved the Qin Dynasty and his Guanzhong region very much.

Yes, Guanzhong is a wonderful place for him.

"I don't know." Zhang Liang looked at the Minjiang River flowing down and said in a low voice, "It may take several generations. It took several generations for Qin to unify the six states. The country now is much larger than Qin was back then."

Ju said, "Young Master once said that life is actually very long. So... when I was a child, Young Master said that, whether we are commoners or nobles, everyone's life is extremely heavy. Who dares to say that a person's life is not worth mentioning?"

(End of this chapter)