The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 258 Chen Ping's Trick

For the Qin Dynasty today, agriculture remains very fragile, and the infrastructure of this era is even weaker. A heavy rain can cause flash floods, waterlogging, or even epidemics.

This is no joke. A heavy rain or a short-lived drought would be a disaster for the Qin Dynasty today.

A palace attendant braved the rain to walk to the eaves of Zhangtai Palace, took out a piece of paper from his pocket, and handed it to him.

Tian An took the paper and handed it to the young master.

Fusu opened the letter. It was from Longxi and written by Li You.

Li You hadn't seen the Prime Minister for many years. Now, the father and son finally met in the Hexi Corridor, but they didn't say much.

After reading the letter, Fusu put the paper away.

This was a family matter between Li You and his teacher, and Fusu would not tell anyone about it, nor would he reveal the contents of the letter.

The relationship between father and son did not improve after they were reunited.

It hasn't gotten better, but it hasn't gotten worse either.

The heavy rain lasted for a day and a night, and showed no signs of letting up. Zhang Cang sat under a wooden shed by the Baiqu Canal, eating noodles while watching the water in the canal.

The heavy rain continued to fall on the water, and every inch the water level rose made people more and more annoyed.

Sitting next to Prefect Zhang, Gongzi Heng and Gongzi Li were also eating noodles from their bowls, while Zhang Jing was eating a flatbread and a bowl of noodles.

After General Zhang Han returned, Zhang Jing was busy for several days, but now the general has left again, escorting the emperor on his westward tour.

Uncle Zhang Ping, Zhang Jing's uncle, is still staying in Longxi, and the Zhang Jing family rarely gets together.

Heng knew that Zhang Jing had long been accustomed to this kind of life.

Not far away by the river, there was a construction site where the river embankment was being repaired. It should have been the quietest time on a rainy day, but the people in front of me were very busy.

Li looked into the distance through the rain. The pattering rain continued, and laborers trudged through the muddy ground, piling up sand and stones to reinforce and raise the riverbank.

Other children might enjoy rainy days, and some even like to run out and play in the water at this time.

But for Heng and Li, the scenery here is also a learning experience.

Two children, determined to help their grandfather and father govern the country, need to understand how the country operates. They learn by observing how Zhang Fucheng mobilizes laborers and distributes the grain sent from Xianyang.

For these two children, that alone is enough for them to learn.

He said politely, "Prefect Zhang."

Upon hearing the young master's words, Zhang Cang said, "Please speak, young master."

Li then asked, "My mother says we've never been good at numerology. Could you teach us numerology?"

Zhang Cang shook his head decisively.

Li continued, "Father said that you are very skilled in numerology."

Zhang Cang wanted to tell the two young masters that their father was also quite skilled in numerology.

When pressed by his child, Zhang Cang replied, "I'm very busy."

Upon hearing this, Li bowed solemnly to Zhang Cang and said, "Alright, we'll wait for Prefect Zhang to finish his work."

Zhang Cang put down his bowl and chopsticks, put on his straw hat, and walked out of the wooden shed to talk with Xiao He, who was directing the laborers ahead.

Just then, the rain became more intense and the downpour intensified.

Seeing Zhang Cang approach, Xiao He pointed to the timber and debris floating upstream and said, "Were houses destroyed upstream?"

Zhang Cang frowned and looked upstream, also waiting for news from upstream.

Before long, cavalrymen rode up.

The two men approached and said, "The riverbank upstream has been breached, and we need manpower."

Xiao He immediately sent a team of laborers upstream to help.

Looking at the scene before him, Heng was also upset. He said, "Isn't there a way to control the flood once and for all?"

Li replied, "Brother, flood control cannot be accomplished once and for all; it requires year after year."

Heng only complained once, but in his heart he also hoped that this spring flood would pass peacefully.

After another day and night of heavy rain, Guanzhong finally welcomed its first sunny day after the spring floods. As the water level downstream began to drop, everyone felt relieved.

Because of the heavy rain, the Prime Minister's office dealt with three more county magistrates and dismissed two others.

In recent years, the number of officials added in each county has increased, and the number of officials replaced has also increased.

Even among officials selected through examinations, their abilities still varied greatly.

The county officials in Guanzhong were all carefully selected by the Prime Minister's office, so the officials in Guanzhong were the best.

After Chen Ping reported the results of his investigation to Prince Fusu, he instructed the clerk outside the mansion to issue the official document.

As a subject, one must serve those in power and also consider what those in power want to do.

An upright ruler usually has upright ministers as well.

Having experienced the wickedness of the world, Chen Ping discovered that the Prime Minister's mansion now has many upright people, and not all of them are bad.

If we're really talking about bad people, the only one who comes to mind is Prime Minister Li Si.

"Imperial Censor Chen, the Right Chancellor has something for you to do." Upon hearing this, Chen Ping left the Chancellor's residence and headed towards the Imperial Censor's residence.

As for the tax law that the young master mentioned, Chen Ping still had no clue, but this matter could not be rushed, nor could it be decided by Chen Ping alone.

In other words, what merit or ability does Chen Ping have to handle such a major national affair?

To gain a foothold in the Prime Minister's office and become someone like Zhang Cang and Cheng Miao, one must be diligent and hardworking, and also possess genuine skills.

This is what Chen Ping realized in his second year in Xianyang.

As Chen Ping was thinking about these things, he arrived at the Imperial Censor's Gate.

The Imperial Censor's residence was much quieter than the Prime Minister's residence.

Right now, the doors are wide open, and compared to other sunny places, this place feels rather cold and gloomy.

Chen Ping stepped into the Imperial Censor's residence, bowed, and said, "Chen Ping greets the Right Chancellor."

Feng Quji said, "Feng Jie, take him there."

"Yes."

Upon hearing this and seeing Feng Jie cast a glance his way, Chen Ping quickly followed.

As they walked, Feng Jie told Chen Ping about the purpose of their trip: "Some of the criminals sent from Chu are still alive. It would be a pity to kill them, but they are useless to keep them. How did you persuade the people around Maodun to assassinate him?"

Chen Ping replied, "Just a few promises."

Upon hearing this, Feng Jie smiled again, as if Chen Ping had made the matter seem very simple.

Chen Ping's confidence gives people the feeling that nothing in this world can stump him.

Before entering the dungeon of the Inner History Bureau, Feng Jie whispered, "We are currently trying to capture Xiang Liang, but we have been struggling to find any news. The people we sent out have investigated several times and have indeed found traces of Xiang Liang in Jiangdong, but they are just traces, we have not seen him."

Chen Ping asked in a low voice, "Are you going to capture the Xiang family?"

Feng Jie added, "Two years ago, a heavy rain in Chu caused flooding in many places... Well, Guanzhong has weathered this year's spring floods safely."

At this point, Feng Jie continued, "The death of Doctor Han Zhong was caused by Canmu. It is a fact that the governor of Kuaiji Commandery harbored the criminal Canmu. However, Yin Tong told everything he could before he died. Canmu was actually Xiang Liang's subordinate and helped Xiang Liang kill people. Before killing Han Zhong, Canmu had killed many people, including the Qin army that chased down the Tian brothers."

"The Right Chancellor was quite angry when he heard about this. The matter in Kuaiji Commandery has been quelled. The old nobles of Chu who could be arrested have been arrested, and those who should be killed have been killed. As for the others who were guilty, they have all been sent to the north to build the Great Wall. Two years have passed, and Xiang Liang, the culprit in Kuaiji Commandery, is still on the run."

Chen Ping frowned first, then asked in a low voice, "Are there villagers from the Xiang family in Jiangdong helping Xiang Liang hide?"

Feng Jie did not deny Chen Ping's words, and asked again, "What method do you have to find Xiang Liang? Or is it like how you dealt with Maodun?"

Chen Ping looked up and pondered for a moment, then turned back and asked, "To complete this matter, I have one condition."

Feng Jie stroked his beard and said, "Two years ago, Lou Jing, the magistrate of Wuwei County, which was newly established in the Hexi Corridor, reported to the Imperial Censorate that you, Chen Ping, were a strategist under Zhang Han, who was treacherous, good at using tricks, cunning, lazy, and afraid of death."

Chen Ping remained silent for a long time, unsure of what to say.

Two years ago... Chen Ping remembered, two years ago was the year Lou Jing took office as the magistrate of Wuwei County.

Chen Ping gritted his teeth secretly, but still faced Feng Jie with a smile.

Feng Jie said, "After Maodun died, we compared your various actions in the Hexi Corridor with his own, and it was indeed as he said."

Chen Ping gave another bitter smile.

"You are an imperial censor, a subject of the Imperial Censorate. The Imperial Censorate has always been overseen by the Right Chancellor. From now on, you don't need to get too close to Zhang Cang and his group."

Chen Ping lowered his head and gave a slight bow, saying, "Yes."

Feng Jie was more satisfied with Chen Ping's performance and said, "Tell me your premise."

Chen Ping said, "I can go to see the criminals in Chu, but only I can go alone."

"it is good."

Seeing that the Minister of Justice had agreed, Chen Ping added, "This is only a prerequisite; there are probably still conditions for the rest."

Feng Jie said, "Okay."

Chen Ping first looked into the depths of the dungeon, then dismissed the jailers and went to see the prisoners alone.

Feng Jie didn't know what Chen Ping had said to the former noble prisoners from Chu, but he came out again after only a short while.

Chen Ping added, "Three days later, please have the Court of Justice arrange for someone to whip this person. Don't kill him; just leave him half-dead and let him go."

Feng Jie said, "Okay."

After Chen Ping left, the jailer stepped forward and asked, "Court Commandant, can this Chen Ping be trusted?"

Feng Jie added, "As long as we capture Xiang Liang, we can give Chen Ping any gold he wants."

Among the old nobles who rebelled against Qin, the three Tian brothers, who were the most vocal in their opposition, all died, and died tragically. After Yin Tong of Kuaiji County was exposed, the whole world knew that Xiang Liang wanted to rebel against Qin and restore Chu.

If Qin can capture Xiang Liang, it will intimidate the people of the world, and who will dare to discuss rebellion against Qin in the future?

Only by capturing Xiang Liang can we extinguish his desire to rebel against Qin.

Feng Jie actually looked down on Xiang Liang. Did this man really want to restore Chu?
Perhaps Xiang Liang himself wanted to become the King of Chu. Did he not know that King Fu Chu of Chu was still alive in Xianyang and that he wanted to restore Chu...? Did King Chu agree?
Therefore, Xiang Liang's restoration of Chu was not for anyone else, but only for himself.

Feng Jie instructed the jailers, "Do as Chen Ping asks. As long as we can capture Xiang Liang, Chen Ping can have whatever he wants."

"Yes."

(End of this chapter)