The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 317 The Other Side We Never Saw

This is a very clear signal: the wealth of the Western Regions has spread throughout the Prime Minister's residence. Since Qin established contact with the Western Regions, more people from the Western Regions have been traveling there, and much news has also reached Guanzhong.

Chen Ping said in a low voice, "This autumn, the people of the Western Regions sent countless rare treasures. The emperor even had them sent to Mount Li. It is said that the palaces at Mount Li cannot contain all these treasures?"

Heng nodded and said, "I saw it with my own eyes; there were more than ten cartloads of jewels."

Chen Ping sighed, "The Western Regions are so wealthy; the emperor must naturally want to develop the Northwest."

Heng shook his head and said, "Imperial Censor Chen, I don't believe that my father sent more troops to the northwest for those treasures. Did my grandfather want to unify the south just for these oranges?"

As he said this, Heng waved the half-eaten orange in his hand.

Chen Ping smiled awkwardly and said, "What you say makes sense, young master."

Although Gongzi Heng and Chen Ping were not teacher and student, their relationship was even closer than that of teacher and student.

Heng knew that if one couldn't judge a person accurately, or didn't know whether someone was good or bad, then one could ask Chen Ping.

Chen Ping will definitely give himself a satisfactory answer.

As we left Sanchuan County, it started snowing again.

When the carriage entered Hangu Pass from Sanchuan County, the wind and snow became even stronger.

The group could only rest at Hangu Pass.

The heavy snow lasted for a day and a night. The guards who went to investigate reported, "Young master, the road is blocked by heavy snow."

Heng said, "It's alright, you can stay here for a few more days."

"Yes."

The group accompanying Chen Ping was small, consisting of only about a hundred people.

Three days later, when someone arrived from the direction of Tongguan City, Heng's team continued their journey back to Guanzhong.

Xianyang, Zhangtai Palace.

Today, all the officials of the Nine Ministers' Offices are on holiday.

Officials who have been busy all year are finally able to take a month off.

During the holiday this year, the emperor once again bestowed wheat upon his officials. The wheat was this year's new wheat, and each household received three cartloads of new wheat.

The emperor rarely bestowed money directly; he almost always gave grain as a reward.

It seemed the emperor was reminding his ministers that food was still the most important thing for the country and should never be forgotten. They should not become complacent because of the current peace and tranquility.

Heng rushed back to Xianyang City on the winter solstice.

Inside Zhangtai Palace, at the emperor's request, the main hall had its windows open to maintain ventilation.

Even when he felt cold, the emperor insisted on ventilation and refused to use heaters.

Heng walked into the spacious and quiet hall and saw his father, the emperor, dressed in a black robe, handling state affairs.

All year round, the emperor's robes were always black.

Heng bowed and said, "Father Emperor."

Fusu said, "You're only just getting back?"

"Your subject wishes to visit the Right Chancellor again."

Fusu gave Tian An a look.

Tian An immediately gestured for the young master to sit down first.

Heng sat beside his father, reporting on what he had seen and heard during this inspection.

Fusu asked, "What do you think of Chen Ping?"

"Your subject believes that the Prime Minister's residence cannot only have good people, but also bad people like Chen Ping."

Fusu sighed, "He is useful, but we can't rely on him too much."

Heng bowed and said, "Your subject understands." "It is rare to find someone who can teach you to distinguish between good and evil in people's hearts; you must cherish this opportunity."

"Yes."

"The Right Chancellor is at home; go and pay him a visit."

Heng stood up, bowed, left the main hall of Zhangtai Palace, walked down the stone steps, crossed the open space in front of Zhangtai Palace, and then exited the palace gate.

The Right Chancellor lived on East Street in Xianyang City, which was also the area with the most mansions in Xianyang City.

As Heng walked along, he came across the former residence of Prime Minister Li Si. The Prime Minister no longer lived there, and even many of his servants had left. The mansion had been uninhabited for a long time.

The Right Chancellor's residence was right next to Li Si's residence, and Heng personally went up to knock on the door and explained his purpose.

The gates of the mansion were opened, and Prince Heng was welcomed inside.

Feng Quji's residence was actually not very large, and the furnishings were quite simple.

Upon seeing the Right Chancellor drinking a bowl of tea, Heng bowed and said, "Teacher."

"Young Master and Chen Ping have been inspecting the counties for three months. Have they made any progress each month?"

"Heng believes that people still have a hard time living their lives. Heng also feels that the Prime Minister's Office and the Censorate should visit the counties more often. It is not enough for Father to send the county magistrates to the Prime Minister's Office. Heng thinks that the people of the Censorate should go to the counties more often. If the officials are not doing well, they should be taught."

"Hmm," Feng Quji responded, seemingly dissatisfied with the young master's answer.

Heng was also wondering to himself, "Was I too lenient with my words?"
"Next year, the Censorate will add thirty new censors."

Upon hearing this, Heng was somewhat surprised, realizing that what he had been worried about had already been arranged.

Feng Quji added, “The magistrates of each county have varying abilities to govern. People’s abilities are limited. We cannot make them do things they are not good at. The Prime Minister’s Office has higher requirements for the governance of each county, and the supervisory responsibilities of the Censorate will be even heavier.”

Heng thought to himself that the Right Chancellor was different from people like Zhang Cang or Cheng Miao.

Some people possess the talent to govern a country, while others are able to help the emperor strategize and plan.

The Right Chancellor was in charge of the Censorate, which was responsible for evaluating officials, identifying those who were incompetent, and correcting their mistakes. This was the Right Chancellor's forte.

Although Qin Ting was on leave, Heng dared not slack off. Since he was serving in the Censorate, he had to understand the responsibilities of the Censorate.

That winter, Heng often sat alone in the Imperial Censor's Mansion, flipping through the case files.

A few days later, someone delivered a scroll of documents, saying that the magistrate of Lantian County had been dismissed and a new magistrate had taken over.

Heng then realized that the Censorate was more ruthless than he had imagined. The Right Chancellor would not have anyone instruct the officials in each county, but would directly replace them if they were found to be mismanaging their duties.

The Censorate wielded power no less than that of the Prime Minister's Office, and it felt even colder there, including Chen Ping, the Right Prime Minister, and even the ever-smiling Minister of Justice.

The officials in the Prime Minister's office had a good political atmosphere and a work ethic of working themselves to the bone.

The Censorate was the dark side of the Qin court.

Unbeknownst to many, the Imperial Censorate dismissed 23 county magistrates, 5 prefectural governors, and more than 10 military generals last year.

Some of them accepted bribes, sold military equipment privately, or sold off grain and fodder.

The records here even contain information about the current situation of Zhao Tuo and Tu Ju's children.

These are all little-known aspects of the Qin court.

After leaving Jingye County, Heng came into contact with everything he had never encountered before during the winter at the Imperial Censorate.

After reading through many of these files, Heng understood why the Right Chancellor always had an expressionless face and was usually taciturn.

Having been in this position and witnessed so many ugly things done by officials, anyone in that situation would probably have become like that.

So these things... there have always been people like Yin Tong, but the Emperor has never mentioned them in front of his ministers.

Heng put away the dossier in his hand, looked at the oil lamp in front of him, and the night wind blew into the censor's mansion. He got up, closed the door, and simply slept there.

Before falling asleep, with his eyes closed, he vaguely understood why his father was always dissatisfied with the administration of officials and counties.

(End of this chapter)