The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 314 The Right Prime Minister (Thanks to Brother Xu for the generous donation)
When the roasted duck was brought into the hall, everyone looked up at the aroma.

Ying Zheng ate the oranges presented from Guilin County and then gestured for Li Si to distribute the duck meat.

There were three roast ducks in total. Li Si took a dagger, found the duck with the best fat and lean meat, cut off the best pieces of meat, and served them to the emperor and his son. Then he distributed the rest to the two young princes and their wives.

The family ate their meal, no longer discussing national affairs.

But for the emperor and his son before them, it seemed there was nothing to discuss except state affairs.

Making conversation, Fusu peeled two more oranges for his father.

The First Emperor simply ate quietly.

For Tian An, this was perfectly normal. The emperor and his son were like that; apart from matters of state, they had almost no interaction.

Even after the meal, the lady still had to coax her daughter to eat.

After Heng and Li finished their meal, they left the main hall with Grandpa Tian.

After the two children left, the hall returned to silence. Ying Zheng said, "With Gao's achievements to begin with, your son will become that kind of person."

Fusu said, "These two children are both kind people. They have been studying with Shusun Tong since they were young."

Ying Zheng then said, "I will not interfere in your family affairs."

Upon hearing this, Fusu put down his wine cup, picked up the oranges from Lingnan again, and said while eating, "Have Heng go to the Imperial Censorate and follow Feng Quji."

Ying Zheng didn't say much, he just quietly ate his walnuts.

It wasn't until nightfall that Fusu led his family to Xianyang City.

The next day, early in the morning.

After taking his two sons for a morning run, Fusu sat down to eat in front of the Gaoquan Palace.

Seeing that her mother was tidying up this year's autumn and winter clothes, Li hurriedly helped her mother pick up her younger sister and wiped the drool from her sister's mouth.

Wang Tang'er said, "Have someone follow you to your residence in the county and bring back all the old clothes you can't wear anymore."

Noticing her mother's stern expression, Li hugged her younger sister and nodded repeatedly, afraid of disobeying her mother in the slightest.

They said they were bringing back the old clothes, but the implication was that if even a single piece of cloth was missing from your clothes, you'd be in for a beating and a scolding.

Li forced a smile, but it looked somewhat timid.

After Grandpa Tian had prepared the noodles, Li placed his younger sister in his older brother's arms, and then he went to eat.

Heng first looked at his younger sister in his arms, and his sister was also looking at him.

I had just finished my morning run and was about to have lunch, so I put my younger sister back in the cradle and went to eat too.

Fusu said, "Heng."

"Mmm." Heng nodded repeatedly as he fed noodles to his chest with chopsticks.

Fusu asked, "Now that you've returned from the border, have you thought about what you want to do in the future?"

"Your subject has not yet thought about it."

"After you've had your meal, go to your post at the Censorate. The Right Chancellor will instruct you."

"My son understands."

After finishing breakfast, the two young masters left in a hurry.

Tian An sighed as he cleared away the dishes; the two young masters were truly afraid of the madam.

At home, Wang Tang'er still wielded considerable authority, and she also controlled the monthly allowances and daily arrangements for the palace servants, making her even more powerful than before.

After the two young masters left, Gaoquan Palace became much quieter.

After the palace returned to calm, the lady's expression improved considerably.

It was early morning, half an hour before the court meeting was about to begin.

Chen Ping hurried towards the Censorate, wanting to retrieve a scroll that had been left there yesterday.

The autumn rain had just fallen; water was still dripping from the eaves, and the ground was still damp. The morning autumn wind added a touch of chill.

Chen Ping hunched his shoulders in the cold wind and hurried to the front of the Imperial Censor's Mansion, only to find a young man standing there.

Because the other person had a youthful air about him, Chen Ping subconsciously looked around again, about to ask where this young man came from and whose child he was.
But upon closer inspection, the young man looked very familiar, especially since there was a palace attendant standing next to him.

The boy actually laughed. Chen Ping took a step back, and the more he looked at him, the more familiar he seemed. To get a high-ranking position in the Qin court, recognizing people was crucial.

Chen Ping had always felt that his eyes had never misjudged anyone, when he suddenly remembered that Gongzi Heng had recently returned.

"Heng greets Imperial Censor Chen."

Chen Ping hurriedly bowed and said, "Young Master."

Heng said, "It's almost time for the court meeting, isn't it?"

Chen Ping then remembered something, hurriedly opened the door of the Imperial Censor's Office, and before he could even ask what the young master had come for, he grabbed a scroll and rushed to Zhangtai Palace.

Heng remained standing under the eaves of the Imperial Censorate. Seeing that water was still falling, he took a step back.

The gates of the Censorate were still open. Heng looked back into the Censorate. No officials had come here yet, and he did not see the Right Chancellor or any other censors.

The eunuch said, "Young master, it's cold outside. Please wait inside the mansion."

The eunuch gestured for Heng to enter the Censorate. Heng thought that if the Right Chancellor came and he, the young master, was sitting in the Prime Minister's residence and acting arrogantly, it would inevitably make the Right Chancellor feel uncomfortable.

When he was a child, he studied with an old master. Heng recalled the words his father had told him during his morning run: he would learn skills from the Right Chancellor in the future.

This was an agreement made by the Emperor and the Right Chancellor a long time ago.

Since you've come to become an apprentice, you should show your utmost sincerity.

Heng straightened his clothes and continued to stand under the eaves of the Imperial Censor's Mansion.

They stood there until the afternoon, when officials began to walk by.

Before long, voices could be heard. Heng looked over and saw the Court of Justice Feng Jie and the Imperial Censor Chen Ping approaching, chatting and laughing.

"Young Master." Chen Ping stepped forward and bowed first.

Before the court meeting, the Minister of Justice heard from Chen Ping that the young master had arrived. He was surprised to see him standing at the door. Seeing that Chen Ping had taken the first step to greet him, he hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Young master."

Heng looked up and saw the Right Chancellor behind him. He walked past the two men and headed towards the back.

Chen Ping and Feng Jie remained standing there, bowing and exchanging bewildered glances.

Looking back, Feng Jie saw that Gongzi Heng was bowing very respectfully to the Right Chancellor.

Feng Jie straightened up, patted Chen Ping on the back, and said, "Young Master, you've come to see the Right Chancellor."

The group entered the Imperial Censor's residence one after another. When Gongzi Heng sat there, they all felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Feng Quji said, "Young master, Chen Ping is about to inspect the counties in Guanzhong. Why don't you go with him?"

"Thank you, teacher."

Upon hearing that the young master addressed the Right Chancellor as his teacher, Feng Jie felt envious. When he heard that the young master and Chen Ping were going to inspect various counties, Feng Jie felt even more jealous.

It's amazing that Chen Ping could work with Prince Heng.

As he left, Chen Ping noticed the Right Chancellor's gaze, which seemed to say, "If you dare to act disrespectfully in front of Gongzi Heng, your life is over."

Of course, Chen Ping also knew in his heart that if he dared to take Gongzi Heng to a tavern for drinking and merrymaking, his life would be ruined.

After exchanging greetings, Chen Ping took the documents and left with Gongzi Heng.

Teaching the young master was an agreement made with the emperor long ago. Now that the young master Heng has completed his two-year military service, he naturally has to return to become his disciple.

Now that the young master was right in front of him, Feng Quji was no longer in a hurry.

To learn how to govern a country, one must understand the country and know the governance of each county. The foundation of the prefecture-county system is the county. The emperor has emphasized more than once that government orders must reach each county directly. What the emperor values ​​most is the governance of each county, which is why the Prime Minister's office has such close contact with the counties in Guanzhong.

The only thing missing is having the county magistrates from each county participate in the court discussion.

Feng Jie asked in a low voice, "Right Chancellor, will Chen Ping still be sent to inspect the various counties this year?"

"Yes."

"However, there is a lot of discussion about Chen Ping in various counties."

Feng Quji said, "This is not a bad thing."

Feng Jie nodded.

Gongzi Heng really did accompany Chen Ping to inspect the various counties, and after leaving Xianyang City, they went to Chencang County in the west.

The emperor's other son, Gongzi Li, went to Tongguan City to continue his studies.

The country hasn't changed much; people's lives remain the same.

The Guanzhong Plain was covered with a layer of autumn frost in the morning. It was truly a case of "one autumn rain brings one chill," and the weather was getting colder.

Gongzi Heng has had excellent self-care ability since childhood, especially after living in the army, he doesn't need anyone to take care of his daily life.

Before reaching Chencang County, Heng encountered his uncle, Gongzi Gao.

The young master laughed and said, "Heng, it's been a long time."

"uncle."

Seeing this, Chen Ping wisely went about his own business, not daring to disturb the young master.

Gao looked at his nephew and asked, "What brings you here?"

Heng said, "I have taken the Right Chancellor as my teacher, and the Right Chancellor has sent me and Imperial Censor Chen to inspect the various counties."

Gongzi Gao looked in the direction of Yongcheng and said to Heng, "I've come here to retrieve the files."

Seeing that Heng was still curious, Gao handed him the dossier and said, "Back then, the Zhou emperor granted Qin a fiefdom. In fact, Chencang County was the first county Qin entered when it moved eastward."

Heng listened as his uncle recounted the deeds of the Qin people in the past.

Previously, Qin was almost located on the northwestern border, while Chencang, situated on the north bank of the Wei River, was the easternmost point of Qin at that time.

There are also some old weapon-making workshops here, which were left behind by the earliest Qin people.

Later, the Zhou royal family gradually lost control of the world, and war broke out everywhere, with various warlords vying for supremacy.

After saying that, Gao added, "If you have time, come to Yongcheng, and your uncle will tell you about it."

"it is good."

Before arriving at Chencang County, Heng bid farewell to his uncle and returned to the county, where he and Chen Ping inspected the county government.

Listening to Chen Ping talking with the county magistrate in front of him, Heng realized that the previous county magistrate was no longer there, and the new county magistrate was directly appointed by the Prime Minister's Office.

The Qin Dynasty of today is not what it used to be; the county magistrates and township heads of each county are now directly appointed by the Prime Minister's Office.

The Prime Minister's office took all these powers back.

Moreover, each county was required to follow the arrangements of the Prime Minister's Office, and the Prime Minister's Office also had the final say on how to govern the county.

During the county administration process, the Prime Minister's office wielded enormous power, including the authority to appoint and dismiss personnel within the county.

If you are unwilling to obey the Prime Minister's office, there are plenty of people who will replace you.

This spring, the emperor issued a decree to eradicate illiteracy. This vigorous literacy campaign began first in Guanzhong. In order to check the situation in the county, Chen Ping would also visit ordinary people's homes to ask the county magistrate whether they had enabled them to read and write.

Throughout this process, Heng followed Chen Ping to check on the situation in the county.

After a busy day, Chen Ping said to Gongzi Heng, "I am an official in Xianyang, but I cannot sit in Xianyang and listen to the reports from the officials below. We need to go and see for ourselves and ask questions. Only in this way can we understand the people's conditions."

At this point, Chen Ping added, "This is what the Emperor taught me."

Heng nodded, remembering these words.

During his two years in the army, Heng learned about military governance. Now that he has returned from the border army, he needs to brush up on his knowledge of official administration and county governance.

And they will make use of this knowledge.

Heng and Li both felt that their father's way of governing the country had a unique philosophy, and they could occasionally see snippets of it in their father's books.

Autumn in Guanzhong is very short, so short that the leaves on Mount Li just begin to turn yellow before winter arrives.

Ying Zheng stood on the mountain, looking down at the imperial road and the comings and goings of carriages and horses.

Li Si approached in good spirits and reported, "Gongzi Heng has recently been inspecting various counties with Chen Ping."

Ying Zheng asked, "Chen Ping? Is that the new censor?"

Li Si replied, "It is Chen Ping, who brought Zhao Tuo and Tu Ju's child to Xianyang as a hostage."

Ying Zheng sneered, "Heh, he's a treacherous person."

When emperors appoint people, they don't care whether the people under their command are cunning or not; as long as the person is useful, that's enough.

Li Si continued, "I heard that during the court discussion today, the emperor brought up the south again, discussing with his ministers whether it would be better to appoint Zhao Tuo and Tu Ju as Generals Who Guard the South, or to grant them marquises."

Ying Zheng seemed not to have expected that these two generals would go south for more than ten years. It was easy to send them out, but it would be difficult to get them back.

Li Si said, "The emperor knows very well that the people of Lingnan must not be allowed to fall into disarray. These two generals have worked hard to stabilize the situation in the south. If things fall into chaos, all their previous efforts will be in vain."

Ying Zheng exhaled a breath of warm air in the cold wind and said, "Fusu must be in a difficult position too."

"This year, the emperor sent more than thirty officials to Sichuan and Guilin Prefecture, hoping to achieve some results."

Ying Zheng said, "The longer the plan is, the more difficult it is to implement."

Li Si had been neglecting state affairs for some years. In fact, since his western tour, he hadn't looked at any documents for quite some time.

Even now, Li Si can only learn about how the current emperor governs the country from the words of others.

Along the mountain paths of Mount Li, there are many oak trees planted.

Looking at the oak trees, Ying Zheng said in a low voice, "Fusu once told me some things."

Li Si stood silently in the cold wind.

Ying Zheng said, "This is what Fusu heard from Hei Bo of Yongcheng. The Qin people had a hard time back then. They even had to eat oak leaves to fill their stomachs. Now, Fusu has made the Guanzhong Plain full of wheat so that people can have food to eat."

Li Si lowered his head and remained silent.

Ying Zheng continued, “Throughout the history of Qin kings and nobles, there have been good people and bad people. When Fusu wanted to dig a canal in Jingye County, Tian An said that he was like the Duke of Qin, that the old Duke of Qin had returned. Fusu seemed to be born to love the people.”

Another gust of cold wind blew by, and Xia Wuqie stepped forward and said a few words.

Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng's expression turned slightly displeased, and he returned to his palace at Mount Li.

A guest has come to Mount Li today; this person is Wang Ben.

After retiring, Wang Ben lived a quiet life at home. He had recently fallen ill and had been recuperating until now, when he finally came to Mount Li.

When Ying Zheng met Wang Ben, he noticed his white hair; Wang Ben had become much older than before.

Li Si helped Wang Ben, who was bowing, to his feet and said, "Why do you look so old?"

Wang Ben said, "Everyone gets old."

Li Si held Wang Ben's hand, feeling somewhat sorry for him, and said, "These past two years haven't been easy, have they?"

Wang Ben smiled and said, "I'm fine."

(End of this chapter)