The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 259 The Departure of Old Friends
If Feng Jie hadn't known Chen Ping's past, he wouldn't have valued him so much.

A person like Chen Ping shouldn't be working in the Prime Minister's office all the time; he should be working for the Right Prime Minister in the Censorate.

On the third day, a former nobleman of Chu who had rebelled against Qin was thrown outside Xianyang. Just then, Chen Ping helped the prisoner up, washed him clean, and took good care of him.

Inside the Censorate, Feng Jie listened to his subordinates' report. Upon hearing that Chen Ping wanted three thousand coins, he agreed again.

Release the person, allow them to recover, take good care of them, build trust, and then give them money.

This is Chen Ping's method.

To be honest, Feng Jie thought Chen Ping's methods were hypocritical and low-class. Even if they could fool the criminal, they certainly couldn't fool Xiang Liang.

Chen Ping wanted to use this criminal as a pawn, so he sent him to find Xiang Liang.

Once he finds Xiang Liang, the Qin army will also find Xiang Liang.

Whether Xiang Liang trusted Chen Ping or not is irrelevant. Chen Ping, this pawn, would have died either in the dungeon of the Inner History Bureau or in Jiangdong, where he would have died at Xiang Liang's hands.

Just like Han Zhong, the Qin scholar who was killed back then.

The person released was Qu Su from the old Chu state, a descendant of Qu Yuan.

If Xiang Liang were truly willing to kill this man, he would likely lose very few supporters in the Chu region.

This was Chen Ping's insidious plan. He knew that if Xiang Liang left Qu Su behind, the Qin army would find him.

If Xiang Liang kills Qu Su, he will lose the support of the people.

The following day, Feng Jie received news that Chen Ping had given three thousand coins to Qu Su, instructing him to go to Chu to find Xiang Liang and first devise a plan to overthrow Qin, rescuing more of his Chu relatives from the Inner History dungeon.

Chen Ping was adept at manipulating people's hearts, and acted boldly yet meticulously, having already considered the other party's motives.

Feng Jie informed the Right Chancellor of this matter and exclaimed, "I never imagined that Zhang Han had such an extraordinary person under his command."

Feng Quji closed the document in his hand and said, "Does the Inner History Office really still have relatives and clansmen from the Chu people?"

Feng Jie replied, "The cells are all separate. Qu Su doesn't know how the other prisoners are being held. As for his relatives in Chu, only three or five are still alive, and they are barely alive."

Feng Quji closed his eyes and pondered without saying much. For the past two years, he had been handling the case involving the three Tian brothers and the Chu region, which had been quite exhausting.

"As for the so-called relatives and clansmen of Chu, it was a dream that Chen Ping made up for Qu Su. As long as Qu Su had such a dream in his heart, he would fantasize about life after the restoration of Chu. This dream would also support him in finding Xiang Liang. It was also because of his vanity that he would encourage more former nobles of Chu to rebel against Qin."

After hearing Feng Jie's words, Feng Quji said, "Keep a close eye on this matter."

"Yes."

"And..." Feng Quji paused for a moment, then said, "Is there still no news of Zhang Liang?"

Feng Jie replied, "Not yet. They seemed to have disappeared five years ago."

After speaking, he saw the Right Chancellor wave his hand, and Feng Jie understood and left the Censorate.

Chen Ping was unaware of the opinions of the Right Chancellor and the Court of Justice regarding him. He was currently at home writing a letter in which he was criticizing Lou Jing.

Lou Jing actually wrote about Chen Ping like that in the document, so naturally this grudge must be avenged.

In the letter, Chen Ping severely scolded Lou Jing. After writing the letter, he burned it, deciding not to hold it against Lou Jing for the sake of the child, Ju.

Ju is currently teaching in Sichuan. Chen Ping picked up a piece of paper, wrote a letter to Ju, and asked him how he was doing.

The letter was sent out along with the military clerks, and it was unknown when he would see it.

After finishing his shift at the Prime Minister's residence today, Chen Ping went to Tongguan and met Mao Heng, whom he hadn't seen for many years.

Mao Heng now has white hair at his temples; he has aged rapidly over the years.

Chen Ping knew that Mao Heng had been living a very carefree life all these years, and he didn't know why he had aged so quickly recently. Chen Ping handed over the wine and said, "This is wine brewed in the Hexi Corridor. Have a taste."

Mao Heng said, "I've heard that you are now an imperial censor."

Chen Ping poured the wine into a bowl and asked, "How are you doing now?"

"Me?" Mao Heng paused for a moment, took a sip of wine, and replied, "It's the same as always. I'll be leaving Tongguan in another month."

Chen Ping recalled that when he first arrived in Tongguan City, the first person he met was Mao Heng.

Chen Ping admitted that he had ulterior motives in getting to know Mao Heng, but now he only wanted to maintain a friendship with Mao Heng. Hearing that the other party was leaving, he asked in return, "Isn't this place good?"

"This place is very good, but the Qin people do not test poetry in their examinations for selecting officials."

"Does this disappoint you?"

Mao Heng took another sip of wine and said, "Ever since the emperor implemented the standardization of writing and the standardization of cart axles, and after the eastern tour, Prince Fusu collected all the books in the world, and now there is the saying of printing books, there will never be a hundred schools of thought in this world again. The hundred schools of thought are really dead. I, who once called myself a poet, do not know where to display my talents."

Mao Heng took another sip of wine and said, "What a wise man Prince Fusu was, why did he not value my poetry, and why did he abandon the successors of the Confucian philosophers?"

Chen Ping was speechless for a moment. The world had changed a lot, and people had changed too.

Mao Heng said, "In the past, all talented people came from the various schools of thought. But now, people come from rural teachers. They all say that this is better, so that more people can read books. But Prince Fusu did not allow the various schools of thought to continue to exist. His Qin Dynasty used the knowledge of the various schools of thought to govern the world and educate the people, but he did not allow the various schools of thought to continue to exist. All the books in the world have become the books of Qin."

“Li Si! How could you raise Prince Fusu to be like this, causing him to sever the ties of the Hundred Schools of Thought? You should have just banned private schools in the first place.” Chen Ping remained calm as he listened to Mao Heng’s treasonous words.

"Chen Ping, tell me! Without the contention of a hundred schools of thought among the Hundred Schools of Thought, is the world still a good place?"

Mao Heng was drunk, and Chen Ping didn't want to argue with him, so he just casually agreed with him.

So many years have passed, yet Mao Heng still harbors resentment towards Li Si. The rural education movement has been popular for so many years, but it has stifled the various schools of thought.

The doctrines of the Hundred Schools of Thought may appear in children's reading voices, but it is unlikely that the legacy of these philosophers will ever be passed down in this world.

Chen Ping had no idea what the world would become, nor whether what the Qin Dynasty was doing was right or wrong.

Just like the Southern Expedition, some people say it was right, and others say it was wrong. The victory of the Southern Expedition was a victory that no one cheered for.

Things in the world tend to follow the general trend, and so does volunteer teaching.

No matter how much Mao Heng complained, it was all just stammering; he was not in power and could not decide the fate of the country.

As more and more people enjoy the benefits of teaching in rural areas, no one will hear Mao Heng's words.

People are just that realistic. Chen Ping has always been a realistic person. He doesn't have a very good vision for the future, but he doesn't think too badly either.

A month later, the Guanzhong Plain entered the sweltering summer season, and Chen Ping personally saw Mao Heng off at Hangu Pass.

Mao Heng left. He planned to follow in the footsteps of his teacher Xunzi and travel the world again. He did not want to return to Guanzhong, which was a place of sorrow for him.

His best friend Han Fei died in Guanzhong, and the person he hated most, Li Si, was the prime minister of Qin.

The most virtuous man in the land, Prince Fusu, rejected Mao Heng's poems and essays during the examination and selection of officials.

Mao Heng is now like a person abandoned by the times.

After returning to Tongguan, Chen Ping would often visit the Imperial Academy.

In the Qin Dynasty, the Imperial Censor was a high-ranking official with the power to report directly to the emperor and even impeach other officials.

Chen Ping has never used this power in the year since he took office.

When Mao Heng left, neither the ceremonial officer nor the prefectural administrator of the Imperial Academy tried to stop him.

Wang Yu handed over a scroll and explained, “Actually, we did not ignore Mr. Mao Heng. These are his poems, and we have kept them all. It is indeed a pity that he has passed away, but we respect him.”

Chen Ping said, "You've done a very good job."

Wang Yu bowed and said, "I hope Imperial Censor Chen will not misunderstand."

It was already July in Guanzhong, and according to the twenty-four solar terms established by Prince Fusu, this solar term was Lesser Heat.

The weather in Guanzhong was gloomy today, with constant thunder.

The rain held back for half an hour before it started to fall. Chen Ping sat in the Imperial Academy in Tongguan City, opened a bamboo tube, and took out a piece of paper with the characters "Ju" on it.

He said he is still teaching in Jiangyuan County and has a son in Sichuan.

He also mentioned a county magistrate in Sichuan and a volunteer teacher named Master Han.

In the letter, he said, "Brother Chen Ping, Master Han is a remarkable person. He can govern the people and cure diseases. He can also help people improve their fields and build irrigation canals. He can do everything except farm and cook."

Chen Ping looked at the letter and suddenly smiled. How could there be such a powerful person?

“Brother Chen Ping, it’s a pity that Master Han has no interest in officialdom. I’ve asked him why, but he never says. Magistrate Wu guesses that since Master Han’s birth mother passed away, he came to Shu with Colonel Lü from the army and hasn’t left since. Perhaps the death of his birth mother was too much of a blow to him…”

After that, the letter focused on family matters.

"Brother Chen Ping, Grandpa still lives in Tongguan City. I haven't been back for many years, so I hope you'll take good care of him..."

After reading the letter, Chen Ping got up and left the Imperial Academy.

In the west of Tongguan City, there are several houses where the first people to move into Tongguan City lived.

Chen Ping met an old man who looked to be around seventy years old. This man was Ju's grandfather, and he was also the master craftsman who built the Jingye Canal and Tongguan City.

It is rumored that he also invented the long spear and stirrups, but he never made it public.

Chen Ping bowed and said, "Chen Ping greets the old gentleman."

The man with the green arm looked at the newcomer and asked, "Who are you?"

"I am Ju's friend. He wrote from Sichuan and asked me to come and see you so that I can reply to him. Do you have any words for me to pass on?"

"Is this child still teaching in Sichuan?"

“Yes,” Chen Ping added, “He not only teaches, but also started a family in Sichuan and had a son.”

Qingbi said, "I'm fine. Tell him not to worry, to focus on teaching, and not to come back unless it's important. Don't let it interfere with the important task of supporting education in rural areas."

(End of this chapter)