The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 257 Spring Floods and Heavy Rains
The palace gates opened on time, and everyone headed towards Zhangtai Palace to prepare for today's court meeting.

When Prince Fusu arrived at Zhangtai Palace, the main hall immediately fell silent.

The court meeting had just begun when Prince Fusu mentioned that a letter had arrived from Longxi yesterday, saying that the emperor was so pleased with the bountiful winter wheat harvest that he and the prime minister got drunk together.

The officials in Zhangtai Palace smiled, pleased that the Emperor and the Prime Minister could be so cheerful while they were away.

Cheng Miao also had a smile on his face. In the past, the officials would worry if the emperor was not in Xianyang, but now that the prince was in Xianyang, the officials were actually quite at ease.

With a relaxed opening, today's court meeting can officially begin.

After the Awakening of Insects, it is the busy farming season, and Zhang Cang is reporting on the planting matters of various counties this year.

Water availability this year is much better than in previous years, but there are still places that lack water sources to irrigate their fields.

Today, Guanzhong has no shortage of water resources, but the distribution of water resources is extremely uneven. Some places are still dry even during the rainy season, while other places are flooded during the rainy season.

The issue of droughts and floods in Guanzhong is discussed almost every season, from spring to autumn.

Therefore, in court discussions, national policies concerning water management were raised and inquired about every year, both before and after the busy farming season.

Since these are questions that appear on the exam every year, it's impossible to guarantee that you won't make a mistake every year.

That means we have to bring it up every year and ask about it every year.

The young master might ask if the drought here has been resolved.
The young master would also ask if there had been flooding in any area.

Not only should water management and canal construction be carried out in this way, but each county should also do a good job in preventing floods and droughts every season.

Therefore, it is necessary to expand the counties, relocate people living in arid plateaus or highland areas with insufficient irrigation, and redistribute farmland and residential areas.

For example, the expansion of Huayin County and Linwei County increased the population of each county and made it easier to manage and conscript laborers.

However, this method also has drawbacks. If people are constantly relocated, it will lead to overpopulation in some areas. But that's a matter for later. Fusu thinks that population concentration is not necessarily a bad thing.

Relocating the population to newly developed counties can also increase the effectiveness of government policies and make population management more convenient.

This is like bringing together the previously scattered population of Guanzhong.

The main destinations for the relocated population are the newly constructed Weinan, Weibei, and the area surrounding Xianyang Bridge.

Zhang Cang recounted this year's spring floods, noting that several heavy rains had fallen intermittently over the past two weeks, resulting in abundant water flow in the rivers throughout Guanzhong.

The rain stopped yesterday, but we cannot let our guard down. Each county still needs to conscript laborers to repair the river embankments.

After today's court meeting concluded, a group of officials hurriedly went to give instructions.

The court meeting ended at noon, and when I returned to Takasen Palace, I did not see Tian An.

Where are his family members?

Wang Tang'er and Granny Wang were looking at the papers.

"I've gone to deliver clothes to the two young masters."

Upon hearing the maid's reply, Fusu rolled up his sleeves and went to the stove under the wooden shed to prepare today's meal.

Actually, the young master didn't need to do these things, but sometimes when he cooked himself, the eunuchs and maids didn't dare to disturb him.

Moreover, they don't dare to touch these pots and pans on ordinary days.

Tian Anxi cooks, and these kitchen utensils are his favorites.

Fusu saw that the dough had risen, which must have been prepared by Tian Anti. After chopping the meat filling, Fusu started making steamed buns.

They made steamed buns with mutton and scallions and placed them in a steamer. The couple didn't eat much; five buns and two bowls of mutton soup were enough for a meal.

After the steamed buns were ready, Fusu placed them on the dining table.

Wang Tang'er helped serve the mutton soup and talked about the children.

After saying that, the couple sat facing each other and ate their meal quietly.

Taking the exam paper from his wife, Fusu ate a bite of steamed bun and then drank a sip of mutton soup.

Wang Tang'er said, "I gave these two children a test paper, and I didn't expect them to answer it so well."

Fusu nodded as he ate, saying, "There are still not enough mathematical problems."

Wang Tang'er nodded and said, "I'll write a letter and ask Shusun Tong to keep a close eye on things."

Grandma Wang, with her white hair, sat to the side. Listening to the couple's conversation, she felt that the young master and his wife had too high expectations for their children. The two young masters' knowledge was clearly far beyond that of children from ordinary families.

Grandma Wang felt that as long as the child was sensible, that was good enough.

Granny Wang watched these two children grow up. What the young master and his wife valued most was moral education.

After the meal, the lady would also review the accounts of Jingye County, as she was in charge of several workshops there.

Previously, the entire Shangyan Mountain was the young master's private property. However, after the construction of the Jingye Canal, Shangyan Mountain became Jingye County and was no longer the young master's private property.

Despite this apparent fact, the workshops currently being built are still the young master's private property, and are managed by his wife. Therefore, the young master and his wife have always controlled the largest papermaking business, and it is the only one of its kind.

After the lady finished reviewing the accounts, the couple left after receiving a report from a eunuch.

Even after Tian An returned, Granny Wang was still marveling at how the most noble couple in the world lived such a simple life. Tian An was used to it; Gaoquan Palace had always been like this.

After listening to Granny Wang's nagging, Tian An returned to the side room of Gaoquan Palace and wiped the table in front of Empress Dowager Huayang's memorial tablet, not allowing a speck of dust to remain.

This side room is a forbidden area of ​​Takasen-gu Palace. Apart from the young master and his wife and Tian An, no one else in the palace is allowed to enter.

After leaving Gaoquan Palace, the young master and his wife went to the imperial palace in the northern suburbs.

The Qin royal family still has not appointed a clan head. After the passing of the great-grandfather, it seems that the emperor has some reservations about the position of clan head.

In Fusu's understanding, it seemed that his father had long been opposed to the establishment of clan leaders.

The Emperor is still on his western tour; at this time of year, he should be hunting in the Hexi Corridor.

Fusu looked around the Lin Guang Palace, and before him stood Hei Bo, the Grand Attendant of the Qin royal family who had come from Yongcheng.

Uncle Hei said, "This is an arrangement for them to be sent to the foot of Mount Li."

My father visited Yongcheng once during his western tour, and it was then that he gave instructions to Uncle Hei.

Seeing his wife's somewhat uneasy expression, Fusu said, "You don't need to be afraid. Xia Wuqie said that Father's health is still good. This is just preparing for his passing."

Wang Tang'er nodded, but there was still worry in her eyes.

Fusu could understand his wife's feelings; she had the same expression when the Duke of Pinyang passed away.

The emperor was also her father, and she was also a member of this family. Following the emperor's instructions, she sent the treasures of Lin Guang Palace to Lishan Mausoleum and entrusted the decision to the couple.

Fusu looked at the booklet handed to him by Hei Bo. It contained the meteorite from Dongjun, the national seal obtained during the conquest of the six kingdoms, and many other treasures that were to be buried at the Lishan Mausoleum.

The twelve golden statues cast when the army of the whole country was gathered were already in the main mausoleum. When Fusu descended the mausoleum, he saw the tall twelve golden statues in a hazy moment.

Only then did I realize that these twelve bronze statues had already been in the mausoleum.

These items should be sent to the Lishan Mausoleum first, so that they may rest in peace with the Emperor.

“I am my father’s child. If my father really passes away in the future, I will personally attend his funeral.”

Wang Tang'er nodded and said, "I know."

Despite her strictness towards her two children, she is actually a very kind person, and she always hoped that her father would talk to her.

Having married into the imperial family, she deeply respected her father, but the imperial family was also very special, so she had to strengthen her inner self. Being the wife of a young master was not easy, both now and in the future.

This time, her father allowed her to participate in the restoration of the Lishan Mausoleum, which must have made her very happy.

At least, the Emperor has accepted her as his daughter-in-law and allowed her to manage the household affairs.

Watching the treasures being sent to the Lishan Mausoleum under Uncle Hei's arrangement, it became clear that there weren't many treasures in the Lin Guang Palace. All the dragon bones that had been dug out from the foot of Shangyan Mountain would also be buried in the mausoleum.

Fusu was willing to let rare treasures rest in peace underground; if he really wanted to keep something, the imperial seal would be enough.

Fusu knew that more than two thousand years later, the Lishan Mausoleum was still intact, and that the First Emperor, who was buried there, and those rare treasures with legendary stories should also be buried there together.

Late at night, the couple arrived at the foot of Mount Li and watched as carts carrying treasures were driven into the mountain.

Fusu and his wife could only stop at the foot of the mountain; the road ahead was beyond their reach. Even if the First Emperor were to pass away, only Prince Fusu would be qualified to see him off.

This was also the emperor's instruction.

Sitting in the carriage on the way back, the night sky over Guanzhong was still as clear as ever. Fusu looked out the carriage window at the distant night sky, where the stars still shone brightly.

“My great-grandmother used to say that I was my father’s most beloved child, and I thought so too when I was little. But actually, after I became sensible, I didn’t see my father very often, not even once a year or every month. Maybe one day my father felt that I had grown up and was willing to see me again.”

Wang Tang'er listened quietly as her husband recounted the past.

From his words, she could tell that her husband must have been very lonely as a child. He grew up in the deep palace, without playmates of the same age or favorite toys, with only the seriously ill Empress Dowager Huayang for company.

Not only that, her husband also became a book lover at a very young age and even treated the Empress Dowager Huayang.

Feeling her husband's warm hand covering the back of her hand, she said, "The young master is indeed the emperor's most beloved child."

Fusu nodded and said, "Yes, that's what they all say, and I think so too."

After all the treasures of Lin Guang Palace were sent to the Lishan Mausoleum, Fusu realized that his father had truly given up the idea of ​​immortality and was really making plans for his afterlife.

Half a month after the Awakening of Insects, Guanzhong was hit by another heavy rain.

After the court meeting concluded, all the officials had left. Fusu walked outside the palace and stood under the eaves, watching the torrential rain pour down as if the heavens were pouring water.

The spring floods stopped for a while this year, but we really can't let our guard down.

Half a month ago, Zhang Cang had mentioned this matter and ordered all counties to repair the river embankments.

Just as he had feared, the spring floods only subsided briefly before the heavy rains arrived. The world does not always grant Qin favorable weather every year, just like the heavy rains that struck the Chu region back then.

Fusu knew that something bad would happen in Dazexiang after that heavy rain, so he made arrangements in advance, but that still couldn't extinguish Xiang Liang's ambition to restore Chu.

I don't know if my younger brother Gao really found the Xiang family's traces in Jiangdong and wrote the last chapter of the history book about the Chu state, which was the history of the Xiang family.

Looking at the rain pouring down, Fusu said to Tian An beside him, "Have Cheng Miao and Chen Ping personally go to the counties along the Wei River and Luo River to inquire about flood prevention preparations. Have Zhang Cang prepare food and doctors in advance, and have Grand Commandant Wang prepare troops in advance. No county magistrate may leave the county government. County officials must be on duty day and night to deal with the flood situation at any time."

(End of this chapter)