The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 297 Focusing on the Present
Fusu had the map spread on the ground put away and the oil lamp placed aside. He explained, "There are thirty-six kingdoms in the Western Regions. Han Xin had Wu Shi Luo draw this map. I intend to hang it in the rear hall of Zhangtai Palace."

Zhang Cang said, "I have heard that the Yuezhi people traveled through the Western Regions to Xianyang, and it takes them more than three months to travel there and back."

More than three months is indeed a long time; it's almost like going from summer to autumn, or starting in summer and returning in winter.

The journey to and from the Western Regions traverses the Gobi Desert and other wastelands; it's a long road.

Traveling between the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions would be fraught with difficulties and obstacles, and perhaps even fewer people would be able to cross the Western Regions alive.

When Fusu thought of the Silk Road, he found it hard to imagine how much courage and perseverance it would take to travel back and forth along it.

Not everyone can travel freely among the Western Regions like Wu Shi Luo, and even have a place to stay in all thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions.

Fusu said, "Since Touman Chanyu died, this Wushi Luo's wealth has grown larger and larger. After Maodun died, he used the name of the Qin army to recruit a lot of soldiers in the Western Regions. He is now the richest merchant in the Western Regions."

Zhang Cang said, "I heard that he also led a large number of people to the Hexi Corridor."

Fusu nodded.

Zhang Cang said, "Shejian continued General Zhang Han's strategy to develop the Hexi Corridor. Wu Shilu knew that the Hexi Corridor needed a lot of manpower, which is why he provided manpower to General Shejian. He is good at judging the situation and is a very capable businessman."

Fusu understood the implication in Zhang Cang's words: Wushi Luo was very wealthy, but he only gave the Hexi Corridor a little over a thousand warhorses each year, saying that the journey was long and the climate was too changeable, so the warhorses could only be sent to the Hexi Corridor during specific seasons each year.

Han Xin still needs Wu Shi Luo, the merchant, and Shejian also needs this merchant.

Moreover, the merchant, who was good at judging the situation and catering to people's preferences, had his pastures and cattle seized by Touman Chanyu that year, and even handed over the pastures to the Qin army guarding the Great Wall.

The current Wushi Luo not only sells horses, but Fusu also knows that this person is involved with the population of various countries in the Western Regions, as well as the salt of the Western Regions.

This businessman became increasingly unscrupulous.

Fusu did not want to curb the development of Wushi Luo; in fact, he hoped that Wushi Luo would grow bigger and bigger. The more concentrated Wushi Luo's assets were, the easier it would be for the Qin army in the future.

Now that there is peace and no more war on the grasslands, the merchant Wu Shi Luo is growing in power faster than expected.

The Western Regions were still too far away and too vast for the Qin Dynasty at that time.

After Qin unified the six kingdoms, there were so many things happening in the world that Fusu was too busy to manage them all, and he simply didn't have the energy to take care of things outside.

Even now, the Qin Dynasty, as an agricultural civilization, remains fragile. Its production methods and tools are still mainly based on three-legged seed drills, waterwheels, and plows.

Human and animal power remain the main sources of productivity.

The saying "If you want to do a good job, you must first have the right tools" applies to any production model.

This year's farming efforts were hampered by some improvements to agricultural tools made by Fusu, but they had no impact on people's production methods. Farming continued as usual, with the only improvement being in the scale of cultivation and irrigation efficiency.

The present-day Qin Dynasty can be divided into pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. The land on these pieces is of varying quality; some remains barren, while others have dwindling populations.

Fusu raised his head slightly. Centralized power has its advantages, but governing such a vast empire is simply too difficult.

"Did the Eastern Tour come into play when you met with the Prime Minister this time?"

Zhang Cang shook his head and said, "Mao Heng was mentioned, but the Eastern Tour was not."

Speaking of the Eastern Tour, Fusu sometimes felt that it was not a bad thing. Touring the country would allow people to know the emperor's majesty, experience the conditions in different places firsthand, and propose governance methods directly. As for the Eastern Tour, a mobile Qin court could be established.

However, such an eastern tour is also very costly. The escorting troops can number in the tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands. If the supply of food and provisions is disrupted, a county of tens of thousands of Qin soldiers could be emptied of food.

The risks and costs are too high. On the contrary, the current situation, where the emperor governs the country from the Zhangtai Palace, protected by city walls, and the soldiers do not have to travel, is the method with the lowest cost and risk.

Fusu continued, "I heard that a few days ago, Father and the Prime Minister were traveling in Weinan. Father distributed some dates to the children. Father said that Guanzhong is becoming more and more lively, and he thinks it is very good to be in Guanzhong like this."

Zhang Cang lowered his head and listened quietly.

Fusu then asked, "Will all the taxes from various regions be delivered safely this year?"

Zhang Cang said, "All the officials have been sent out, a total of five hundred people."

"There are a total of 500 officials. There are 50 prefectures in the country. Each prefecture can only be assigned 10 people, but each prefecture has more than 10 counties and dozens of townships. There are still not enough officials."

Zhang Cang kept his head down and didn't say anything.

Fusu said, "We must keep a close eye on the taxation matters."

Zhang Cang bowed and took his leave.

Fusu felt that the scale of the volunteer teaching program was still insufficient, and without enough resources accumulated, it was impossible to cultivate too many officials.

It's hard to say when the country will have enough officials, and enough salaries to support them all.

Outside the palace, which was originally sweltering in the heat, a cool breeze was blowing, and thick dark clouds floated overhead.

Tian An led a group of eunuchs and hurriedly delivered a box of documents. This was the last box of documents delivered by the Prime Minister's residence today.

Fusu picked up one of the scrolls and looked at it, recalling the time when the Qin court still used bamboo slips, and documents were transported in boxes. Now that they had paper, not much had changed; they still received two or three boxes every day. A few large raindrops fell, and then more and more raindrops appeared.

Until the rain poured down, stirring up a mist of water on the ground, only the roar of the falling rain remained in the world.

It seemed that the sound of the rain was too loud, and the lady, who was originally in the back hall, was awakened by the sound of the rain.

Wang Tang'er walked to the front hall, supporting her waist. She looked at the heavy rain outside the hall and frowned slightly.

The lady is six months pregnant and has been sleeping a lot lately, but not for very long.

Seeing his wife awake, Fusu took her hand and said, "Sit for a while?"

Wang Tang'er said, "I'm very tired from sleeping, so I'll just stand up."

Fusu nodded, then continued looking at the documents.

Only after the heavy rain outside stopped and the dark clouds dispersed did the light of the setting sun finally appear on the horizon.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, the emperor and empress walked out of Zhangtai Palace together and headed towards Gaoquan Palace.

At night, Fusu was reading a book about the moon, a subject that has inspired endless imagination in people since ancient times.

For example, the Book of Changes (Zhouyi), which is said to be mysterious and incomprehensible, is often said to be about the origin of heaven and earth.

Fusu still can't understand the Book of Changes, but looking at the moon hanging in the night sky, he has a different feeling. This moonlight has accompanied human civilization for thousands of years, and even in the future, more than two thousand years later, it still looks the same.

Even today, people in the Qin Dynasty still use the phases of the moon for sacrifices or to record the calendar.

Fusu knew that in the Neolithic Age, people began to draw the moon as a sign of reverence for the heavens.

Bronze tripods from the Zhou Dynasty contain inscriptions related to moon worship.

Humans have never stopped worshipping the moon.

"The moon is so beautiful tonight."

Hearing his wife's words behind him, Fusu put down the book in his hand, took her hand and said, "I don't know if the summer clothes I sent to the child have been worn, or if they fit. There hasn't even been a reply."

Wang Tang'er said, "It should fit perfectly."

The following day, the court meeting proceeded as scheduled.

The ministers discussed the summer harvest preparations in various regions. In their accounts, the country remained stable, and the people supported the emperor.

After the court meeting ended today, the Right Chancellor went to Tongguan City to inquire about the situation of the rural education support program.

Inside the Academy, things are bustling today. With the summer harvest season approaching, every household is preparing to harvest wheat, while the students in the Academy need to finish their official duties as soon as possible before going home to work in the fields.

Despite being students, they had endless official duties at the Imperial Academy. During the busy farming season, they also had to go home to help with farm work. Even students who lived far away from home would be sent to help with farm work at other people's homes.

Qin became powerful because of agriculture. Students here cannot do without farming and harvesting. Don't think that becoming a student here means you can stop doing farm work.

Liu Fei took the document from the teacher and was assigned to collect grain from a family in Dali County.

However, just as Liu Fei was about to leave, he saw a person enter the Imperial Academy. This person was talking with Master Wang, and it seemed that Master Wang respected this person very much.

After that person left, Liu Fei saw that Master Wang looked worried.

Normally, Master Wang often looked worried when faced with the many affairs of the Imperial Academy, which was common. Liu Fei did not know who was talking to Master Wang and had just finished organizing the files in front of him.

Before leaving, I overheard the people here talking about how the person who had spoken with Master Wang earlier was the Right Chancellor.

They also said that the Right Chancellor came here to inquire about Master Wang.

It seems the emperor was very dissatisfied with the Imperial Academy.

The day before the summer harvest, Liu Fei saw that Master Wang had sent many more students to teach in various places.

Liu Fei was harvesting wheat in the field. Teaching in rural areas was still too far away for him. He needed to be twenty years old and then serve in the army for two years. If he could pass the exam after two years, he could enter officialdom. If he could not pass the exam, he could still teach in rural areas or make a living on his own.

After the wheat harvest was completed, Liu Fei returned the documents to the Imperial Academy to prove that he had finished the farm work, and then he was about to head to Weibei.

Xiao He was at his busiest at this time and needed help.

The Weibei region was also experiencing a bumper harvest, and when Liu Fei arrived at the county government, Xiao He and Cao Shen were indeed extremely busy.

Liu Fei volunteered to help. This year's land tax needed to be collected into the county granary first. Liu Fei changed into coarse cloth clothes and, like everyone else in the crowd, carried a sack full of grain on his back. Feeling the heavy weight, he walked step by step towards the granary.

Like everyone else, Liu Fei went back and forth, transporting all the grain into the granary.

(End of this chapter)