The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 229 Anti-Love
Zhang Liang simply laughed off what those around him were saying, but he still encouraged the children not to drink unboiled water.

Zhang Liang, who had interacted with many volunteer teachers, also observed them for a period of time.

People who drink boiled water regularly rarely experience stomach aches.

Zhang Liang said, "You guys go have fun."

A group of children ran off quickly to play elsewhere.

Zhang Liang continued to look down at the winter wheat.

Not long after, the township head from the county came looking for them.

"Master Han, the bridge has collapsed again."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Liang straightened up from the field. Seeing that night was approaching, he frowned and asked, "Have you had someone keep an eye on things?"

"I've taken care of it; they won't let anyone walk alone at night."

Jiangyuan County has five townships, and the bridge is the only way for these five townships to cross the Minjiang River.

However, the bridge had collapsed before, and it was repaired under the supervision of the previous county magistrate.

The thought that Magistrate Wu had not yet returned meant he was most likely still in Chengdu Prefecture.

But the bridge is broken, and many villagers are still away and haven't returned. They have to take a long detour and climb two hills. The only way in and out of the village depends on this bridge.

Zhang Liang said to the village chief, "Find manpower and repair the bridge first."

When the magistrate was not in office, the people here trusted Master Han and were willing to follow his instructions.

Zhang Liang and the village chief led a group of strong men from the village to the Minshui River, where they saw a wooden bridge that had collapsed halfway.

"Inform the villages and counties downstream that we are going to build a bridge."

The village head then sent someone to give instructions, and people from several villages immediately got to work.

This river is a small tributary of the Minjiang River, and fortunately, the bridge to be built is not very large.

Zhang Liang didn't consider himself a craftsman; he spent most of his time arranging and scheduling.

It happened to be the off-season for farming, so there was no shortage of manpower. While watching the villagers repair the bridge, Zhang Liang even asked the local craftsmen about the secrets to its construction.

When faced with the villagers' pleading eyes, Zhang Liang felt he had no choice but to step forward. Fortunately, he did, and he felt much more at ease.

This sense of security was very important to Zhang Liang.

This is also the feeling I need most after taking over Han Yuan's life.

Some children brought dried plums, and Zhang Liang ate the plums while talking to the children about today's lesson by the bridge.

These children are growing taller every day, especially the teenagers. In another two years, they might be able to take the entrance exam for Guanzhong.

Whenever Zhang Liang had this feeling, he thought of Lang and Wang Yu.

Lang should still be in Langya County now, and his disciples should be taking the exams by now. So many years have passed without us even realizing it.

When Magistrate Wu was away, Zhang Liang became the other "magistrate" here.

When he had some free time, Zhang Liang was writing documents for bridge repair. The magistrate of Wu County in Chengdu Prefecture must have received the news and was on his way back.

Seeing Zhang Liang writing documents, the village head stepped forward and began to talk about important matters in his life.

Late autumn and winter are the best seasons for a man to get married, the village chief always advised, and Zhang Liang had heard this many times, but each time he politely refused.

The bridge took half a month to repair before it was finally finished.

Fortunately, the main structure of the bridge is still sturdy.

Otherwise, who knows how long it would take to repair. Seeing that the county residents could cross the bridge again to go to the other side to buy or work, Zhang Liang felt much more at ease.

But considering the situation in Jiangyuan County, Zhang Liang felt that this bridge was extremely important.

When Magistrate Wu returned, the climate in Sichuan was already late autumn, and at night it felt like winter was just around the corner.

When I woke up in the morning, there was a large frost on the ground.

Zhang Liang pushed open the door and saw the magistrate of Wu County standing outside.

"I heard you've earned military merit this time?"

"Ah."

"It's rare to see a county magistrate leading local laborers to achieve military merit. Does he plan to go to Ya'an again?"

The magistrate of Wu County shook his head and said, "Thank you for repairing the bridge."

Zhang Liang waved his hand and said, "It's nothing."

“Ya’an has been pacified. What happens after that is the responsibility of the Prefect of Chengdu. It has nothing to do with me anymore.” Magistrate Wu said, “The pacification of Ya’an was to stabilize the west. Only when the west is stable can I properly develop the county. Rest assured, I am not a warmonger.”

Zhang Liang's opinion of the county magistrate changed again.

The magistrate of Wu County said, "I am the magistrate in charge of the people of this area. If I want them to live better, I will naturally think more about them. I have obtained permission from the governor of Chengdu that our county will have a share in the trade of yaks between Ya'an and Waiqiang."

As they were talking, the other person handed them a bundle.

Zhang Liang curiously opened the bundle and found it full of dried meat.

There really was an endless supply of beef in Waiqiang, and Zhang Liang saw another side of the mountains of Bashu.

In the winter of the thirty-seventh year of the First Emperor's reign, Shu was peaceful. After the county magistrate returned, he never left again, and Jiangyuan County developed quietly.

Zhang Liang continued teaching.

Also this year, a prisoner was escorted to Xianyang. This man was Yin Tong, the governor of Kuaiji Commandery.

Inside the Prime Minister's residence, every time Zhang Cang saw the mountain of documents, it felt like another day he wanted to die.

Once he came to his senses, Zhang Cang would always find an excuse to leave and pass the buck to someone else. Despite the fact that Guanzhong had already held two examinations to select officials, the Prime Minister's office hadn't actually increased its staff by many points, and it was still incredibly busy.

Zhang Cang hurriedly followed Grand Commandant Wang to interrogate Yin Tong.

After Yin Tong was taken to Xianyang, he was sent to the dungeon.

Before Wang Ben and Zhang Cang, Yin Tong knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying, "I was also coerced by the people of Chu. Xiang Liang gathered rebels from all over the country to raise an army to restore Chu!"

Wang Ben looked through the documents sent from Chu and asked, "Why does your family have so much wealth?"

"It's all..." Yin Tong hesitated for a long time before finally speaking.

In fact, with both witnesses and physical evidence readily available, Zhang Cang felt there was really nothing more to ask in this case. He looked at the accompanying clerk and asked, "Where are his family members?"

“They have all been sent to the border as forced laborers, a total of thirty-five people.” The clerk continued, “Their distant relatives and collateral relatives have all been recorded, and they will not be allowed to serve as officials in the future.”

Wang Ben said, "Your relatives will be affected for five generations because of you, and in the future your relatives will also despise you."

After saying this, Zhang Cang stood up and said, "Execute him."

"Yes."

After a brief questioning, Yin Tong was beheaded.

After Yin Tong's death, the punishment for his relatives also came down. His direct relatives were all beheaded, while his distant relatives would carry this stain for generations.

A corrupt official had his relatives and family members beheaded, his other relatives exiled, and even distant relatives were affected and never employed again.

This was the first official that Prince Fusu dealt with, and the severity of his punishment was widely discussed.

Some say it's too harsh, while others say it should be this way.

Yin Tong's family had also squandered their money and enjoyed life.

Of course, his family members will also be punished.

This also serves as a message to officials throughout the land: those who violate Qin law will be punished more severely than ordinary people.

As a result, officials throughout the land will likely feel as if they are walking on thin ice, and dare not take any great actions.

But for Fusu, this was exactly what he wanted. The Legalists' centuries of research had already proven one thing: never test human nature or human desires.

Only harsh laws can bring stability to a country.

This Qin Dynasty was still in a very primitive agricultural civilization, a civilization that mainly grew grain, and ordinary people were still living in a period where they had to count their grain.

Therefore, for Fusu, only in this way could he properly build the country.

Yin Tong is a good example.

Perhaps this is too extreme for some people, and others think that killing even family members is too cruel.

But if they are let off the hook, it is their family members who will truly benefit.

As always, Fusu sat in the Prime Minister's residence, diligently handling state affairs day after day for decades.

This year, the young master is thirty years old.

Although the emperor still participated in court discussions, he had spent the last two years in the detached palace in the northern suburbs, and most of the time, state affairs were still presided over by Prince Fusu.

Prime Minister Li Si's hair had turned gray, but fortunately his eyes were still sharp.

The Prime Minister and the Prince were still the same as before. Whenever there was any confusion, the Prime Minister would carefully explain it to Prince Fusu.

Take, for example, the recent chaos in the Chu region.

In the prince's view, the problem stemmed from unfavorable weather conditions and Qin's insufficient control over the Chu region.

However, in the Prime Minister's view, it was because the anti-Qin forces in Chu felt that the First Emperor's health had been deteriorating in recent years that they had the intention to rebel.

All three Tian brothers died; Tian Dan died of illness in the dungeon.

Tian Heng died in Di County. Outside the county gate, he led a group of rebels in a fierce battle against the Qin army and perished in the fighting.

Tian Rong died in Dong'e County. His boat capsized, and he couldn't swim to shore despite his strength. He drowned.

People found Tian Rong's body on the beach. Xu Fu confirmed that it was Tian Rong and then burned his body.

The Tian brothers' dream of restoring their kingdom was shattered when they were captured by Xu Fu.

As Fusu looked at the words in the dossier, he recalled that when Tian Dan gathered many powerful figures in Di County, many of them said that if he were to restore the kingdom, he, Tian Dan, would be the next King of Qi.

Fusu didn't know if Tian Dan was living in his dream of becoming the King of Qi.

After putting down the scroll, Fusu put it away, and from then on, the anti-Qin forces in Qi were eliminated.

From then on, the land of Qi was governed only by Qin laws, and the name of the King of Qi was no longer used.

This is what the teacher has always wanted: to erase the imprint of the old six kingdoms from people's bodies. This process is painful, almost like peeling off a layer of skin, but it is necessary for building a nation.

Fusu even felt that the cleaning should be more thorough.

Before long, Zhang Cang arrived in a hurry. He bowed and said, "Young master, Yin Tong has been beheaded. This is his charge."

Fusu had the files of the three Tian brothers collected and took the documents from Zhang Cang.

“My lord, Yin Tong has revealed that most of the people who have dealings with Xiang Ji, who is trying to restore Chu, are former nobles of Chu. It is true that Canmu killed Han Zhong, and he did protect Canmu. However, before Canmu was beheaded, he refused to admit that he knew about Canmu’s murder.”

He also instructed Xiang Ji to unite with various forces in Chu to overthrow Qin and restore Chu.

Fusu saw the rows of names written below the list of crimes and said, "I understand."

Zhang Cang bowed and took his leave.

(End of this chapter)