The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 237 Fan Zeng's Tail

For several days in a row, Gao traveled to almost every part of Langya County, or listened to Xu Fu talk about how he became a scholar of Qilu and how he became the magistrate of Langya County.

These events all occurred during the emperor's eastern tour. The people of Qi still have a clear memory of the emperor's eastern tour to this place seven years ago. They say that when the emperor came, the Qin army escorting him was a dark mass that could not be seen from beginning to end.

The emperor also ordered the long-neglected Langya Terrace to be repaired.

After the emperor arrived in this area, he initiated a relocation program, which brought more people to Langya County. Langya County is now an independent county.

The taxes levied here are not given to Qi County, but are given directly to Xianyang.

The documents here could also bypass Qi County and be sent directly to Xianyang. At first, Gao did not understand why his brother made this arrangement, but when he saw the excellent development of the fishing and salt industries in this area, he understood.

Only when such a place is directly under the control of Xianyang can people feel at ease.

Back then, Langya County, which was located within the territory of the State of Qi, was a prosperous place.

For the remaining days, Gao left Langya Terrace and lived with the villagers.

In winter, not many fishermen go out to sea, and they have to endure the cold at sea.

However, upon hearing that Xu Fu was also going to sea, Gao went to sea with him.

Sitting on the fishing boat, Gao was still a little unaccustomed to it. He looked at the scenery where the water and sky met in the distance and said, "This place is really beautiful. No wonder my father stayed in Langya County for three months when he made his eastern tour."

Xu Fu recalled that he had not seen the prince for many years.

The two sat on the fishing boat. As they got further and further away from the shore, they could see many other fishing boats of their kind, pulling in their nets and bringing their catch ashore.

Xu Fu lit the stove on the boat, and only then did he feel a little warmer. He said, "The autumn season is the most bountiful time for fishing."

At this point, Gao noticed that some fishermen were struggling to pull their nets, so he instructed the boatman to row the boat and help pull the nets together.

A huge fish that required three people to lift was hauled up. It was so big that it almost capsized the fishing boat. A young fisherman took an awl and stabbed it above the gills, bleeding the fish out on the spot. Only then did the fish stop moving and lie steadily on the fishing boat.

Cheers erupted from the surrounding boats; they had caught a big fish that day.

Xu Fu explained, "Once the fish are in the net, they can simply lift the net to know how many fish there are and how big they are."

Looking up at the sea, he couldn't see what was underwater, so he laughed and said, "What an amazing ability."

Xu Fu then said, "Young master, you can stay here for a while longer. This is a good place."

This winter, there were two more snowfalls, and Gao Zhen settled down in Langya County. His historical records also documented the ways of life of fishermen.

Furthermore, Gao can also write about people's past lives based on their accounts.

People's lives differ depending on their geographical location.

Today, Gao visited Fan Zeng again.

Fan Zeng had white hair and beard, but he lived a contented life, with a young woman taking care of his daily needs.

"Fan Zeng greets the young master."

Gao also bowed and said, "Sir, there's no need for such formalities. I have many questions I'd like to ask you."

Fan Zeng knew that Prince Gao was compiling a history book and would most likely ask about the past of the Chu state. However, it would be annoying if Prince Gao pressed him for answers. Rather than waiting for him to ask first, Fan Zeng spoke first: "I have heard that the emperor is seriously ill?"

Gao replied, "Those are all rumors. Father's health has always been very good."

Fan Zeng explained, "There have been many rumors lately. I overheard one, please don't take offense, young master."

"I don't mind," Gao Duan replied, sitting down and looking up at the old man.

The child looked frail, but his eyes were very bright. Fan Zeng then said, "Young master, you come from Longxi. I've heard that Longxi is quite wealthy now."

"Yes, the current head of the water management department is in Wei."

"After the emperor's eastern tour, the people here still remembered the wisdom of Prince Fusu. I have also heard that people in Weinan, Longxi, and even Shu know that Prince Fusu was wise. As long as the teaching support continues, the name of Prince Fusu will be remembered by every child in the world. I have to admire the prince's ability to persist in teaching support for more than ten years."

Hearing the old man's words, Gao frowned slightly, feeling that something was amiss.

Fan Zeng continued, "With so many people in the world supporting Prince Fusu, and so many in the Qin court, it won't be long before Prince Fusu becomes the next emperor. Hmm... not too long. Aren't many state affairs being handled by Prince Fusu right now?"

“This is indeed the current situation in Xianyang,” Gao Rushi replied. “Now, many national affairs are being handled by my elder brother.”

Fan Zeng then asked, "Will he be the next emperor?"

Gao Dao replied, "Yes." His answer was firm and decisive, without any hesitation.

Gao said again, "My elder brother is a learned man. He has been exceptionally gifted since childhood and has read through the classics of various schools of thought. The people I admire most are my father and my elder brother. Moreover, my father and elder brother have worked very hard to govern the country. Since my elder brother took office in the Prime Minister's office, he has never slacked off."

“I grew up under my elder brother’s tutelage. Although I studied under Shusun Tong, all the books I read when I was young were written by my elder brother. He was my first teacher, and everything I have now is thanks to his teachings.”

Therefore, it is not actually Shusun Tong who was the teacher of Prince Gao, but Prince Fusu, who was far away in Xianyang.

Gao said, "I came to see the old gentleman to inquire about some old stories about the Chu royal palace. I heard that the old gentleman was in charge of the Chu royal court's ceremonies back then."

Upon hearing this, Fan Zeng took a deep breath, as if he had been asked about something that displeased him.

The young girl, who was washing the dishes, suddenly smiled. In her opinion, Gongzi Gao's question seemed to have stepped on the old man's tail.

The old man was practically about to explode.

Fan Zeng glanced at the snickering girl out of the corner of his eye, then quickly regained his composure, put his hands in his sleeves, and said in a deliberately lazy tone, "The State of Chu is gone, what's there to say? The State of Zhao is gone, the State of Wei is gone, they're all gone...gone."

Gao added, "It is precisely because they are gone that you, sir, are still alive, which makes you all the more precious."

Fan Zeng shifted his gaze and said, "If you want to blame someone, blame the reforms of the states back then. Reforms... after all those changes, what did they result in? A country is only so big, sigh..."

At this point, the old man sighed and said, "Only the Qin state produced one Shang Yang, and one Shang Yang raised a Qin state that was full of tigers and wolves."

Gao replied, "Old sir, that's not right."

Fan Zeng looked at Prince Gao before him and said, "What's wrong with it? Isn't Qin a land of tigers and wolves?"

Gao explained, "In the old gentleman's view, the reason why Qin's reforms were successful was due to the efforts of Shang Yang alone?"

Fan Zeng asked, "Could it be someone else's achievement?"

Gao said, “I have been taught by my elder brother since I was a child. Before leaving Xianyang, I kept thinking about my brother’s words, which told me to write more about the common people when I write history. I tried to forget my identity and become one of the common people. When I was a child, my brother told me that people are especially important for the construction of a country. I was only twelve years old when my brother said this, and he was only seventeen. At that time, my brother was already building the Xianyang Bridge.”

Fan Zeng did not interrupt him and drank a sip of hot water.

Gao said, "Back then, all the states believed that Shang Yang's reforms succeeded because of him, and that the reforms failed because the states didn't have him. I think this is completely wrong. The reforms in Qin were not the achievement of Shang Yang alone. The common people played a huge role in the construction of the country. It was the old farmers in Longdong who dug out the land with wooden hoes and made it possible for generations to live on."

"Because Lord Shang firmly believed that the common people were the key to building the country, and the common people also believed in Lord Shang, the results of the whole country working together were by no means the work of one person. In order to grow more grain, our farmers dug deep into the fields, and the yield per mu in Guanzhong has been twice as high since then."

At this point, Gao added, "Old sir, the million-strong army that marched eastward was not led by Lord Shang alone. It was raised by the old farmers and women of Guanzhong with their blood and sweat, by tending to their fields."

Fan Zeng fell silent once again in the face of Prince Gao; he was truly silent.

Young Master Gao remained seated upright before him.

Fan Zeng hesitated and asked, "Did your elder brother teach you this?"

Gongzi Gao replied, "Yes, I have been taught by you since I was a child. My philosophy of life was also given to me by my elder brother. Over the past ten years, I have verified my brother's words time and time again. The more I experience, the more I realize that my brother's words are correct. Only when the common people of the world participate in the construction of the country can they exert their greatest strength. The larger the world is, the greater the strength will be. But the larger the world is, the more difficult it will be to govern. That is why my father and brother have always worked very hard."

Fan Zeng straightened his posture and said, "Has the young master seen the records of the Chu state before?"

“I have seen it, and quite a lot of it. Gao came here to ask the old gentleman if there is anything that needs to be added or removed.”

"it is good."

On this day, heavy snow fell again in Langya County. Lang brought two fish to the county government to visit Xu Fu.

Xu Fu was still looking at the documents when he saw the visitor and said, "Why have you come to see me today?"

Lang said, "I have just caught two good fish. I should cook them and share them with my friends."

Xu Fu put away the documents and led Lang to the backyard of the county government, where the two stewed fish and ate noodles.

Lang took a sip of hot soup and said, "I heard that Master Fan Zeng is helping Prince Gao compile the History of Chu?"

Xu Fu used his chopsticks to flip the fish in the soup, picked up a piece of fish, and said, "Back then, Fan Zeng was highly respected in the State of Chu. When Prince Gao of Qin compiled the history of Chu, there were bound to be some dissent. But with Fan Zeng's guidance, he was able to quell the many objections from the old nobles of Chu."

Lang said, "It seems that keeping this old gentleman in Langya County was indeed the best move. Only in this way can Prince Gao's history be convincing to the public. Alas... I heard that the old nobles of Chu are almost all dead."

Xu Fu took a sip of fish soup and said, "It's a real treat to have a delicious fish soup in winter. It would be even better if there was tofu in it."

……

P.S.: I stayed up all night again yesterday and I'm exhausted, so I'm taking a break and will only be able to update one chapter for now.

(End of this chapter)