The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 310 Bitter Wine
"Hmm..." Fan Zeng glanced behind him again to make sure no one was following. He continued, "I wonder if that young man named Xiang Yu entered Hangu Pass with me. When we came, I told the guards at Hangu Pass that the young man in white riding a black horse was a distant relative of mine, and asked them to let us pass."

Fan Zeng pursed his lips and said again, "That child most likely didn't enter Hangu Pass."

As they walked, Lang heard Fan Zeng muttering to himself the whole way.

The two entered a restaurant and ordered noodles, mutton, and bitter wine from Guanzhong.

Lang continued to ask Fan Zeng about what he had seen and heard along the way.

Fan Zeng said, "This Xiang Yu is exceptionally skilled. When I was surrounded by some thugs, Xiang Yu single-handedly defeated more than ten of them, and the rest scattered and fled. Xiang Yu also said that if Huan Chu died during his hard labor, or if Huan Chu did not return, he would take care of me for the rest of my life in Huan Chu's place."

At this point, Fan Zeng continued, "This old man doesn't need a mere boy to support him."

As he said this, Fan Zeng took a sip of bitter wine. The wine stung his brows as soon as it entered his mouth, and he said, "How can the wine in Guanzhong be so strong?"

The shopkeeper, carrying a large bowl of stewed mutton, walked over and said with a smile, "Our Guanzhong cuisine is all like this. Fatty mutton needs this kind of bitter wine to make it taste good."

As the shopkeeper spoke, the surrounding patrons also laughed.

Amidst the laughter of the crowd, Fan Zeng, his cheeks flushed from drinking, said, "Everyone says that the wine of Chu tastes like horse urine, but the wine of Chu can also be very intoxicating."

The crowd burst into laughter again.

Fan Zeng got drunk after the meal, and Lang carried the old man to rest. Just as he turned his head, he saw someone following him from a distance.

That person must be Xiang Yu, as Fan Zeng had mentioned. Lang withdrew his gaze and continued walking as if nothing had happened.

Only after entering a house and letting the drunken Fan Zeng lie down did Lang come out of the house and see the young man in white that Fan Zeng had mentioned.

Xiang Yu was dressed in white and was not carrying any weapons; he simply stood not far away.

Lang said, "The old man is drunk. If you're worried, go inside and check on him yourself."

Xiang Yu remained standing outside and said, "I've heard Huan Chu mention you; you're a good person."

Lang wanted to say something more, but saw Xiang Yu walk around a corner and disappear into the night.

Lang wanted to remind him that the Qin soldiers guarding Tongguan and patrolling at night were different from those outside. The guards here were the most elite of the Qin army, and he would be caught if he wandered around recklessly.

Fortunately, after a night, when Dang Lang woke up, he hadn't heard that Tongguan City had captured any wandering knights or idlers.

Since Xiang Yu was well hidden, Lang stopped worrying about it.

The thought that Fan Zeng had someone protecting him wasn't a bad thing.

It seems that, just as Fan Zeng said, if Huan Chu doesn't return, Xiang Yu will really have to stay with Fan Zeng for the rest of his life. Even if Fan Zeng doesn't like Xiang Ji, Xiang Yu will still silently follow him.

Lang did not break this tacit understanding and took Fan Zeng traveling around Guanzhong.

Lang drove a cart, with Fan Zeng sitting inside, and they traveled along the Wei River.

This cart was originally used to transport grain and fodder. Guardrails were added to both sides so that Fan Zeng could sit in the cart, hold onto the guardrails, and enjoy the scenery.

It's the best time to visit Guanzhong, and it's also the time when the crops in the fields are about to ripen. As you drive along the river, you can smell the fragrance of wheat carried on the wind.

Fan Zeng gazed at the boundless fields. The fields on the Guanzhong Plain stretched as far as the eye could see, with a network of ditches crisscrossing the landscape. The scenery was truly breathtaking.

Lang was just waiting for Fan Zeng to say something like, "So this is how much wheat is grown in Guanzhong."

Then he added with pride, "We have so much grain in Guanzhong that we can't eat it all."

Fan Zeng said, "Xu Fu really did go to sea." Not getting the answer he wanted to hear, Lang asked, "Will he be able to come back?"

Fan Zeng's snow-white beard and hair fluttered in the wind as he said, "I don't know."

Lang said, "He should be very happy to go to sea."

Fan Zeng said, "The alchemists of Qi in the past were people who dared to say and believe anything. They said there were fairy islands overseas, haha... they even believed it themselves."

"Don't you believe me, sir?"

"Hmph, didn't the new emperor also not send a letter?"

While the carriage was still moving, Lang and Fan Zeng discussed a secret matter.

This secret event occurred during the excavation of the Jingye Canal, when some enormous skeletons were unearthed. It was around that time that the new emperor, who was still a prince, firmly believed that there were no immortals in the world. If such a huge beast had become a skeleton, how powerful could a human be?

The carriage began to head towards the Jingye Canal. Fan Zeng said in a low voice, "When Xu Fu left, he had a sword at his waist and led so many Qin soldiers. He doesn't seem to be from Xunxian Island; he seems to be going to war."

Lang led Fan Zeng through the Jingye Canal, heading towards Xianyang City.

When Fan Zeng saw Xianyang, he said with a smile, "Qin unified the world, so why aren't the walls of Xianyang very high? These walls must be very old and haven't been repaired for many years."

Lang said, "The new emperor has never mentioned building city walls."

"So you're not going to fix it?"

"The people all support the new emperor, the army in Guanzhong is strong, there are no refugees in the surrounding areas, and the administration is strict. Even if we build higher and thicker city walls, who will we be guarding against?"

Fan Zeng was still sitting in the carriage, and his already relaxed body swayed with the movement of the carriage, causing him to shake his head and sway as he spoke.

"Yes, to guard against those who want to rebel against Qin."

By late July, the counties in Guanzhong began harvesting wheat. Fan Zeng chewed on a date and watched the people harvesting the grain.

Upon seeing Lang, Fan Zeng asked, "You're not teaching anymore?"

Lang handed the old man a scroll and replied, "Teach me, teach me for half a day each day, and spend the other half of the day visiting you."

Fan Zeng picked up the book the other party handed him, looking somewhat displeased, and said, "What is this now? I won't read it."

"Haven't you always wanted to know the new emperor's methods of governing the country?"

Fan Zeng pointed to his eyes and waved his hand, saying, "Well... I'm getting old, I can't see the words clearly anymore."

Lang didn't say much, just gave him the book and left.

Lang secured a position as a teacher at the Imperial Academy for Fan Zeng. The Imperial Academy was willing to accept former nobles of the six states, especially representatives of Chu learning and etiquette like Fan Zeng. His presence at the Imperial Academy would make the history of Chu at the academy more authoritative.

Furthermore, the Imperial Academy allowed Fan Zeng to teach the ancient Chu learning and Chu etiquette here, treating it as an old tradition of the Chu region, and Qin allowed their etiquette to continue to be passed down.

Fan Zeng sat in front of Tongguan City, and only after Lang had gone far away did he pick up a book and start reading. The book was about the emperor's new policy this year: literacy campaign.

Last year's imperial decree was to reduce the army and allow able-bodied men to return to their hometowns to work; this year's decree is to promote literacy.

Each county began its own literacy campaign based on its own capabilities, and Guanzhong began large-scale volunteer teaching, this time for ten years.

(End of this chapter)