The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 292 No Rest All Year Round
Inside the temple, Fusu watched as the incense burned before the memorial tablets of the Qin kings of past dynasties. He lingered there for a while before heading to Zhangtai Palace.

Zhangtai Palace was bustling with activity. Eunuchs were delivering scrolls of documents to the palace, and craftsmen were renovating its windows. The young master felt the windows were too small and wanted the main hall to be brighter, so that the more sunlight entered, the warmer the hall would be.

When the craftsmen saw the emperor arrive, they all bowed. The emperor walked into the quiet hall and then sat on the throne.

The emperor then began to peruse recent documents.

Seeing that the craftsmen were still standing there, not daring to move, Tian An told them to continue modifying the windows.

At first, everyone was a little cautious, afraid of disturbing the emperor while he was reading the documents, but after several gestures from Grand Eunuch Tian An, they changed their minds.

They continued repairing the windows, and even as the wooden hammers pounded against the window frames, the emperor remained focused on his documents. The noise, even the sound of heavy objects falling to the ground, did not disturb the emperor who was handling state affairs.

The craftsmen of Zhangtai Palace relaxed, surprised by the emperor's concentration.

After the windows were widened several times, gusts of fresh air blew into the hall, turning the pages of the scrolls in front of the emperor and making the papers flutter in the breeze.

As the fresh air blew into the hall, even the eunuchs inside unconsciously perked up.

During this time, ministers would occasionally come to report on state affairs.

By dusk, the craftsmen had all gone home, and the emperor sat in the main hall dealing with state affairs.

For some time afterward, the emperor's daily routine consisted of holding court meetings in the morning, followed by meals at Gaoquan Palace and a short rest.

The emperor has recently made it a point to take an afternoon nap without fail, regardless of the weather, and unless there is a specific reason for it.

After his afternoon nap, the emperor would return to Zhangtai Palace to continue handling state affairs.

From last year to the present, the officials of the Qin court have experienced working without a break all year round. For two consecutive years, the officials have not had a single day off. Even when they did have a break, it was only because someone was sick and could not rest for two or three days. Even for minor illnesses and pains, they had to grit their teeth and continue to sit at their posts and complete their work.

Because the young emperor had abundant energy, governing the country was a very pleasant thing for him, and governing the country was his hobby.

Another heavy rain fell in Guanzhong, and the windows of Zhangtai Palace were finally repaired. The windows looked bigger and taller, allowing for air circulation and light in the main hall.

The once somewhat gloomy and cold main hall of Zhangtai Palace now feels warmer.

The emperor's life was very simple, almost unbelievably so.

The rest of the palaces in Xianyang Palace were sealed off. The emperor's daily schedule mostly consisted of the Gaoquan Palace and Zhangtai Palace. He would occasionally stroll through the West Garden, but he would not go anywhere else at other times.

Sometimes, the emperor would stay at Zhangtai Palace from afternoon until late at night, and even his dinner would be served by the lady herself.

Thunder rumbled across the sky. It was the busy farming season, and Guanzhong finally welcomed its first thunderstorm since the new emperor's ascension to the throne.

A flash of lightning streaked across the thick, dark sky, followed by a deafening clap of thunder.

Grand Commandant Meng Tian arrived at Zhangtai Palace to inform the palace attendant that he wished to have an audience with the emperor.

Tian An said, "Grand Commandant, you may enter the palace without announcing your arrival."

Meng Tian nodded, took off his shoes, and walked into the main hall. The Zhangtai Palace was still the same as before, except that the windows were a little bigger. Everything else remained the same.

Upon seeing that it was Meng Tian, ​​Fusu said, "Yesterday, some fine tea leaves were sent from Zhongnan Mountain to be presented to the Grand Commandant."

A palace attendant poured hot water into a teacup and then handed it to the Grand Commandant.

The tea was served in front of me, and the aroma wafted through my breath. The tea was indeed very good. I took a sip and noticed the characteristic astringency of tea leaves.

Meng Tian replied, "This humble general does not usually use tea leaves, so I do not know whether they are good or bad."

Fusu said, "When you go back, Grand Commandant, you can take some with you. You can try them more often."

Despite the emperor's friendly smile, Meng Tian remained respectful with a stern face. He knew in his heart that the person sitting on the throne was the emperor, and the young master was no longer the young master he once was. He could not relax, much less be negligent.

Fusu said, "I also want to send the tea presented from various places to the Prime Minister's residence so that they can all taste it. When they are tired while on duty at the Prime Minister's residence, drinking a bowl of tea can refresh them."

Meng Tian finished the remaining tea in the bowl, handed the bowl to the eunuch beside him, took out a scroll and said, "Reporting to the Emperor, this year 200,000 soldiers on the border have returned home, and 160,000 soldiers from 32 prefectures in the Central Plains have been registered as residents."

The dossier handed it to him, and Fusu picked it up, opened it, and looked at the lengthy records.

Initially, there were no prefectures or counties in the world, but the First Emperor decided to standardize the written language and measure the instruments, dividing the territories of the six kingdoms into nearly a thousand counties and thirty prefectures. Including Guanzhong and Longxi, there were a total of forty-eight prefectures. If Yunzhong and the Hexi Corridor are included, there would be fifty prefectures.

With the addition of three prefectures in Lingnan, as well as prefectures such as Jianghu and Hejian, the Qin Dynasty now has fifty prefectures to be precise.

The Hunan region, which suffered the trauma of war, is slowly recovering, and its population has improved significantly over the past decade.

For a nation to be built, it needs labor and productivity. Therefore, for Fusu, it was essential to reduce the number of Qin troops stationed in various places.

Meanwhile, the majority of the troops in Guanzhong under the command of the Grand Commandant were still concentrated in Guanzhong, under Zhang Han's command, along with the large army along the Great Wall in the north.

After reviewing the document, Fusu instructed, "Send it to the Prime Minister's residence for filing and storage."

Meng Tian bowed and said, "Your subject obeys."

Upon hearing this, Fusu looked at the remaining documents. The matter of reducing the number of soldiers was considered complete, but the military service of the Great Qin would continue. As long as there were people and able-bodied men, there would be no shortage of soldiers.

The Hexi Corridor was a good place for military settlements, and the strategy of military settlements was jointly overseen by Han Xin and Lou Jing. The military power of the Hexi Corridor army was still in the hands of She Jian.

Zhang Han once submitted a memorial stating that Shejian was an extremely loyal person and that there would be no problem with the border troops in the northwest under her command.

Fusu trusted Zhang Han, but wanted to know more about Han Xin's recent situation. The document contained only one page, which was about horse herding.

However, Fusu saw something else in Han Xin's writings: many years later, Han Xin met Wu Shi Luo again.

At the beginning of spring this year, Wu Shilu brought a thousand warhorses to the Hexi Corridor and drank wine together at the foot of the snow-capped Qilian Mountains.

Not long after Meng Tian left, Right Chancellor Feng Quji quickly arrived in front of Zhangtai Palace.

Invited into the hall, Feng Quji reported, "General Zhao Tuo and General Tu Ju have sent letters."

Tian An took the two scrolls from Feng Quji and placed them on the emperor's desk.

Fusu removed the wax seal and untied the ropes binding it. As he looked at the contents, he said, "They promised to send their offspring to Tongguan to study."

Feng Quji bowed and said, "That's excellent." Fusu took a sip of tea and asked, "Was this accomplished by the envoy sent by Chen Ping?"

Feng Quji replied, "Actually, Chen Ping didn't send any envoys. He just sent someone to the homes of the two generals to offer his condolences and then wrote a letter to their families, which they then sent to the south."

Chen Ping still took advantage of people's family ties and went to comfort the families of the two generals, which carried a somewhat threatening tone.

But that is indeed Chen Ping's style.

Fusu didn't say much, but after reading the letter, he slowly closed it. He said that he would definitely recall these two generals in the future and reward them with honor and wealth.

To stabilize the south, more officials needed to be sent until the south was completely under their control, thus stripping Zhao Tuo and Tu Ju of their military power.

Fusu believed that after so many years in the south, their loyalty to the Qin Dynasty remained unchanged.

Therefore, the matter of sending more officials to the south can be arranged in advance. In the past, such matters were arranged by the prime minister. Since the reforms of the Six Kingdoms, whether it was Zhang Yi or Li Si, as prime ministers, their power was too great.

However, without a prime minister, Fusu felt that the division of powers in the Qin court was not precise enough.

Even if we take a step back and make the most detailed divisions, things will still be delayed if there are some negligent officials.

This is like a contradiction that has remained unresolved for two thousand years. What can be done about it?
Fusu could only try his best to make the world a better place, even if it was just to let people read more books or have more food in their bowls.

Seeing that the emperor had put down the two scrolls of letters, Feng Quji continued, "I will select tutors to teach the sons of the two generals. Their sons will be on their way when the letters are sent out, and they will arrive at Tongguan in two days."

Fusu said, "Go to the Tongguan Academy to study."

"Yes."

No sooner had Feng Quji left than Zhang Cang came to report that Du Shuichang Lu was planning to plant 2,000 hectares of grain on the Liaohe Plain outside the Great Wall this spring.

The land outside the Great Wall had no ownership. If grain was grown in Dushui, then the Qin army would naturally have the right to protect the grain and, incidentally, the land.

In other words, as long as Qin's grain was grown on unclaimed land, the Qin army had a legitimate reason to protect the grain.

The person who protected the grain fields was none other than the emperor's younger brother, Prince Gao.

After listening to Zhang Cang's explanation, Fusu asked for Zhang Cang's opinion.

Zhang Cang felt it was not advisable to provoke a conflict with the Buyeo Kingdom at this time. According to Prince Gao's recent inquiries, the Buyeo Kingdom was located deep in the mountains of the northeast, and its tribes still lived by fishing and hunting. As long as the Qin army did not advance rashly, there would be no conflict.

Of course, it's best to avoid conflict. After Fusu approved Du Shuichang's request and gave him a reply with his seal, he granted Du Shuichang the right to expand his fields.

Du Shuichang did not immediately begin large-scale land reclamation; he only experimented with a portion of the land and did not dig canals, but simply planted along the Liao River.

When Zhang Cang left Zhangtai Palace, the thunderstorm had stopped, and the dark clouds had dispersed, revealing a bright red sunset.

The golden light of the setting sun shone into Zhangtai Palace, making the already magnificent palace even more radiant, especially the many gold artifacts inside, which also shone in the sunset.

As night fell, Fusu put on his outer robe and left Zhangtai Palace. A thunderstorm had struck in the afternoon, and the ground was still wet.

After finishing national affairs each day, returning to one's family and enjoying a proper meal should be the best time of the day.

After the meal, Fusu and his wife walked through the palace, chatting about family matters.

As I listened to her recount stories of her hometown in Pinyang, it was a night after a rain in Guanzhong, and at this time of year, the croaking of frogs in the fields was always very loud.

The croaking of frogs in the fields can go on all night.

As Fusu ate the dates, he said, "Let's go visit our hometown in Pinyang after summer arrives."

She shook her head and said, "Grandpa is gone, and after my brother left, there's no one left in my hometown of Pinyang. I don't want to go back. Even if I did, I wouldn't be able to see my family."

Fusu knew that the elder brother she was referring to was Wang Li, who was currently in charge of military affairs in Qi and had not returned for many years.

“My mother came to see me yesterday.”

Fusu held his wife's hand and said softly, "Yes, when Heng'er comes back, our family will have a good get-together."

Wang Tang'er smiled and nodded in agreement.

Tian An followed behind, feeling somewhat moved for some reason. In order to govern the country and support the abolition of the feudal system, the two young masters had no titles or fiefs, yet they still had to participate in military service and study a lot. The family was relatively peaceful, but it seemed that everyone had their own things to do.

I don't know when it started, but this family has become more and more separated.

Fortunately, the two young princes grew up in the palace. When they were young, they received enough care, and as they matured, they received the best education.

Two days later, Tu Ju and Zhao Tuo brought their children to Guanzhong. Their children all had distant relatives in Guanzhong, so they could be taken care of by those relatives. If the children did not like living with their relatives in Guanzhong, they could live in the schoolhouse in Tongguan.

It was Chen Ping who arranged this matter. Chen Ping personally led these young people around Tongguan City and helped them familiarize themselves with the environment.

If Chen Ping's intention in sending his two generals' offspring was sinister, then these young people, under Chen Ping's guidance, would probably be sold out by him and still help him count the money.

In Feng Jie's opinion, Chen Ping was just too bad, utterly wicked.

On this day, Prince Li returned to Xianyang. After finishing his affairs of state, Fusu took his wife and son to the imperial palace in the northern suburbs to relax.

There used to be a horse ranch in the northern suburbs, but now the ranch is gone, and there is only a grassland. If it is not tended to for a month, the weeds will grow to be half a person tall.

The weather is great today, sunny and warm, and there's none of the cold wind that's typical of February.

Fusu originally planned to visit Xianyang Bridge, but knowing that his younger sister Yinman was currently at the imperial palace, he brought his wife and children here instead.

Fusu watched from afar as his wife and son sat on the grass talking. Li ate noodles while recounting the amusing stories of his trips with his grandfather.

Tian An has come to report that Fusu, having learned that his father has returned to Mount Li, has no intention of coming to Xianyang again.

Fusu had compromised and was unwilling to force his father to come to Xianyang, but he instructed the imperial physician to take good care of his father and teacher.

A guard came forward, bowed, and said, "Master Wang has arrived."

Upon hearing these words, Fusu went to the front hall of the temporary palace.

(End of this chapter)