The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 271 The Officials Who Never Rest
Fusu thought of the imperial seal placed in Zhangtai Palace, and felt weary. He rubbed his forehead, closed his eyes, and pondered.

The couple had been married for over ten years. Looking at her husband's expression, she knew he was upset. She went over and rubbed his temples, asking, "Are you troubled by things up north?"

Fusu felt the pressure of his wife massaging his temples, and his tightly furrowed brows relaxed a little. He then asked, "Which army has Heng gone to?"

Wang Tang'er said, "Father said he would take him to the north to find General Meng Tian."

Fusu took a deep breath and asked, "When do we set off?"

"tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, and seeing that her husband had fallen silent again, Wang Tang'er placed her hand on his shoulder. When she saw that the maid was about to come and ask, she gestured for her to step back, as the maid was probably there to ask what they would eat for dinner.

But judging from her husband's appearance, he was probably preoccupied with a lot of worries, so he couldn't eat.

Wang Tang'er wouldn't allow anyone to disturb her.

About half an hour had passed.

Fusu got up and went to the edge of the pond, caught two large carp, and prepared to cook them.

Wang Tang'er watched her husband skillfully cleaning the fish and stood by, helping him pour some water to rinse off the scales.

The next day, just as dawn broke, the ground was still wet with some snow, clearly indicating that it had snowed lightly the night before. Fusu had just woken up, pushed open the palace door, stretched his limbs, and began his morning run.

Tian An also woke up early and watched the deer drinking water by the pond. Gaoquan Palace was very quiet, with only the sound of the young master's footsteps as he ran.

He ran around Takasen-gu Shrine six times before stopping.

Meanwhile, Tian An's breakfast was ready.

The couple were having breakfast when another eunuch came to report, "The young master and Grand Commandant Wang have gone to the northern army. It was Grand Commandant Wang who took the young master's official documents with him."

Fusu simply nodded as he ate his noodles.

Wang Tang'er continued eating her porridge, saying, "He's going there to be tempered, not to have fun."

"Reporting to Madam, I repeatedly instructed Grand Commandant Wang before I left."

Fusu nodded. The biggest hidden danger for his son going to the north was actually his maternal grandfather, Grand Commandant Wang. If Grand Commandant Wang took his son to have fun in the north, the army really wouldn't be able to do anything about them.

Even within Meng Tian's army, Meng Tian would still give Wang Ben some face.

Before the palace gates, the court officials waited until the gates opened, and then the court meeting was about to begin. Chen Ping was also standing among them, listening to the murmurs of the officials around him.

After listening for a moment, Chen Ping first looked at Cheng Miao, who was standing to the side.

Cheng Miao stood motionless, like a wooden sculpture.

The people's conversation was not about the north, nor about the young master becoming the magistrate of Xianyang, or about the repair of Xianyang city.

Instead, this year's winter solstice is a time for rest and recuperation, but Prince Fusu has ordered that there be no rest and recuperation.

Putting aside everything else, ever since the young master took charge of state affairs, the ministers have been trembling with fear, not daring to relax or be negligent in the slightest.

After a year of busy work for the country, I was hoping to have two days of rest during the winter solstice holiday this year.

With just a word from the young master, everyone's day off was canceled.

Even in the cold winter season after the winter solstice, everyone will continue to come to the court for discussions.

However, since Chen Ping started following the Right Chancellor, his life has improved considerably. He usually needs to offer advice and strategies to the Right Chancellor, and recently he even sent Prince Fusu's New Year's gifts to Zhao Tuo in the south, which was also Chen Ping's clever idea.

Moreover, both the Right Chancellor and the Court of Justice, Feng Jie, greatly admired Chen Ping's abilities.

Chen Ping enjoys this kind of life, where he can both showcase his skills and receive praise.

Finally, the palace gates opened, and the crowd entered in twos and threes, heading towards Zhangtai Palace. Along the way, their complaints could still be heard. The officials could only grumble a few words before the court assembly; they dared not utter a single complaint in front of Prince Fusu.

As the assembled officials stood in the Zhangtai Palace, the sun was just beginning to rise in the eastern sky. As the sunlight began to shine into the hall, Prince Fusu, dressed in a black robe, entered the hall.

The emperor was still absent, and the throne remained empty; only Prince Fusu stood there facing the assembled officials.

Today's court meeting brought up the matter of the north again, with the ministers discussing whether or not they should attack the Donghu.

In the end, the matter was resolved with Chen Ping's statement that the Donghu had occupied the key passage of the Liao River.

If there had to be a reason for sending troops, it would be that the Donghu were blocking the Qin army's way to the northeast.

Chen Ping's reason is somewhat far-fetched, but it's not entirely unacceptable.

Seeing that the ministers had no further opinions, Fusu made a decision only after the Right Chancellor nodded in agreement.

In the ensuing court meeting, the participants continued to discuss state affairs, during which they once again discussed taxes, land, and population.

All the ministers knew that what the prince cared about most was the population. Everyone knew that Prince Fusu would check the population of each prefecture every year, and he would be happy if any prefecture or county had an increase in population.

If the population of each county does not increase, the prince will issue a document questioning the local magistrate.

Therefore, the courtiers were all worried for the local magistrates, even if one of them was struck by lightning and died unexpectedly, it would still be a loss for the prince.

Even counties would inform their residents that they were not allowed to swim in the river alone and that they were not allowed to go out during thunderstorms.

Prince Fusu was particularly fond of people, land, and taxes.

Population is the greatest wealth, land is where taxes are generated, and taxes are the driving force for the survival of the country.

All three are indispensable. Speaking of which, the young master is already over thirty years old. He has gained some more vigor compared to his youth, but he is still very strong.

Whenever there is a problem, the prince is much harsher when he investigates the crimes of his subjects than he was when he was young.

After the court meeting ended, Chen Ping noticed that the Minister of Justice, Feng Jie, also complained about the young master's harshness.

Feng Quji said, "To govern a country, one must be strict. If you, my lord, are not strict, the local counties will not respect you."

Chen Ping said, “The Prime Minister’s words are reasonable, but I am really not very knowledgeable. Two years ago, when you asked me about taxation, I still haven’t been able to come up with an answer.”

After saying this, Chen Ping saw Zhang Cang beckoning to him, so he quickly went to the Prime Minister's residence.

As Feng Jie walked back to the Imperial Censorate, he said to the Right Chancellor, "How come Chen Ping is still associated with Zhang Cang?"

Feng Quji entered the Imperial Censor's residence and said, "After Xiang Liang's death, Chen Ping will also be able to say a few words in the Prime Minister's residence."

Although Chen Ping is very capable, he is the kind of person who makes it impossible for others to appreciate him.

As Lou Jing wrote when he served as county magistrate, Chen Ping was a cunning and treacherous man who was also afraid of death.

Whether Chen Ping was afraid of death or not was unknown. Feng Quji and Feng Jie wanted to use Chen Ping's skills, but they did not want to get too close to him.

Feng Jie packed up a few volumes of documents and left the Imperial Censorate. He was going to close the case of Xiang Liang today and inform King Fu Chu of Xiang Liang's death.

There was a mansion in Xianyang. Usually, the mansion was closed, with only a few servants occasionally coming and going.

Today, a troop of Qin soldiers arrived outside the gate.

Feng Jie stepped into the mansion and looked at King Fu Chu, whose hair had turned mostly white.

The poor King of Chu had been brought to Xianyang for almost twenty years. He had grown old, and his eyes were more hollow than before.

(End of this chapter)