The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 318 The Little Princess Who Loves to Laugh
Even after the winter solstice, Guanzhong is still experiencing a cold winter.

A freezing rain fell last night, and the weather was even colder this morning. At the imperial palace in the northern suburbs of Xianyang, Fusu, who had gotten up early, looked at the people working in the fields in the distance.

When the eunuch brought tea, Fusu and Tian An drank it together.

"Didn't you say you wouldn't drink tea anymore?"

"The tea is quite good too," Tian An said, holding up his teacup.

This old man likes to squint his eyes when he laughs.

Perhaps it's because of his age, but when he smiles, his eyes squint, which makes him seem even more amiable.

Tian An took another sip of tea and continued, "The young master has sent a letter saying that he is preparing for the Imperial Academy's exam."

"Oh, that's alright."

Seeing that the emperor nodded and gave a fair response, Tian An breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Young Master was worried that the emperor would not agree."

“Li has been talented since childhood, and studying is exactly what he excels at. I am naturally happy to see him succeed.”

Tian An looked at the still damp Guanzhong Plain with a smile on his face.

When a palace attendant rushed over and said that everything was fine at Mount Li, Fusu was finally relieved.

Since Father Emperor stopped attending to state affairs and began to rest, his health has been improving day by day, and even his sleep has become much better.

Actually, my father is only over fifty years old. A man over fifty is not considered old.

Fusu hoped that his father could live another twenty or thirty years.

My father's last western tour was just as arduous, and he also went to the Helan Mountains in the north.

Over the past two years, the Emperor's health, which had been deteriorating for many years, has been gradually recovering, and everything is moving in a positive direction.

The tea in the teacup was still steaming. Fusu sat in front of the palace hall, still thinking about his maternal relatives, the Wang family.

But then a figure appeared in the distance. When the person got closer, Fusu realized that it was the Right Chancellor.

Before the guards below could report, Fusu ordered someone to invite the Right Chancellor up.

Whenever the cold wind blows, it makes people shiver.

Fusu invited the Right Chancellor into the warm palace.

Feng Quji came to report on the recent situation of Prince Heng.

After listening to him, Fusu said, "I know. He has been eating and sleeping at the Censorate these past two days, looking at the files there all day."

Feng Quji said in a low voice, "Chen Ping told me that he was worried that Prince Heng was too kind."

"Chen Ping is worried that his way of teaching Heng is wrong and that he has corrupted the child, and that I will blame him, Chen Ping."

Feng Quji nodded and said, "Chen Ping is a very afraid of death."

Chen Ping was a very intelligent man, but he was also extremely afraid of death, more afraid of death than anyone else.

Fusu had heard Zhang Han say that Zhang Han had seen through Chen Ping's fear of death, and therefore was able to control Chen Ping.

It's somewhat funny, considering that Zhang Han was known for his ruthless adherence to military law.

If it were any other general, they would have been completely fooled by Chen Ping long ago.

Only Zhang Han was able to remain clear-headed.

Fusu would not tell Feng Quji these words, because Zhang Han had said them in private.

As an emperor, Fusu sometimes felt that he had less and less to say to his ministers, because saying more was not necessarily a good thing.

Some things, once said, could actually cause problems with the political landscape of the Qin court.

This is something Fusu did not want to see.

Fusu never told anyone about his plans to abolish the prime minister system, retain the Nine Ministers but also abolish the Grand Commandant system, including the current Right Prime Minister, his children, and his wife.

When facing his ministers, Fusu wanted to hear their thoughts, whether they were lies or the truth, or even if they were saying one thing but meaning another.

Especially during court discussions, Fusu would quietly watch as the ministers argued their points.

Looking at the Right Chancellor before him, Fusu said, "Chen Ping is overthinking things, and the Right Chancellor is overthinking things too."

Feng Quji still bowed.

Fusu added, "Right Chancellor, don't worry, Heng won't go astray."

With his children already this age, Fusu is very satisfied with his two sons' values ​​and sense of right and wrong.

They know how to be a better person.

Therefore, Chen Ping and the Right Chancellor's concerns were unfounded.

Whether it's balance or propriety, their personalities have already been formed, and teenagers of this age won't change much even when they grow up.

Feng Quji said, "From now on, could you let Chen Ping take care of the young master more often?"

Fusu nodded.

The emperor and his minister talked for a long time, and the emperor invited the Right Chancellor to have a meal at the temporary palace.

During the emperor's break from his meal, Tian An walked to the back of the palace, where weeds would grow rampant in the summer. Now, in winter, the withered grass was covered by snow, and it would surely grow even more lush next year.

The horse ranch of this imperial palace becomes a mess if it's not maintained for a year or two.

The emperor didn't come here often either, only once or twice a year, or sometimes he wouldn't come at all throughout the year.

Moreover, even when they come here, they mostly stay inside the palace and don't wander around.

Within this palace, in places the emperor had never set foot, lay in ruins.

This place used to be a grassland, where some warhorses were kept. Now the warhorses are gone, and only weeds cover the ground. Tian An felt that as the Grand Attendant, he was becoming more and more idle and had less and less to do.

Sooner or later, he will also grow old to the point where he can't do anything anymore.

After the Right Chancellor left, Tian An returned to the main hall of the imperial palace and told the emperor about the overgrown weeds that covered the horse pasture behind the palace.

Fusu said, "Arrange for someone to tidy up."

"Yes."

Tian An nodded, but then glanced at the emperor's expression again.

If the palace was only for relaxation, it didn't need to be built so large. Besides, the emperor had already allocated land in the Shanglin Garden, so it's not impossible that the palace was abandoned.

Emperors have always been like this: they always want very little, yet they have a lot to do.

During the winter solstice holiday, the emperor would stay in a temporary palace and occasionally check on state affairs.

Half a month later, half of the holiday season had passed, and the Imperial Academy sent word that Gongzi Li had passed the Imperial Academy's exam and become the youngest teacher at the Imperial Academy.

The young master is only fourteen years old this year.

Fusu looked at the answer sheet that Master Wang had sent over.

Fusu handed the answer sheet to his wife, who was holding their daughter.

The following day, Prince Li personally wrote a letter and had it delivered to the temporary palace in the northern suburbs of Xianyang.

Fusu and his wife were sitting on the balcony of the imperial palace. It was snowing heavily, and they could sit there and look out at the snow covering the entire Guanzhong Plain.

There was a herd of deer in front of us, walking in the snow.

Fusu withdrew his gaze and opened the letter his son had sent. In Li's letter, he expressed his views on the Imperial Academy.

He believed that books and teachers should be in the hands of the state, and that the scale of education should be expanded.

Ideals are always beautiful, just like the ideals of the emperor and prime minister Li Si back then. Even if it meant going against the will of the world, they were determined to build the ideal country.

The ideal of propriety is good, but it will take time to realize it.

With the holiday season more than halfway over, Fusu finally received Chen Ping's report: when the literacy campaign was issued this year, the Prime Minister's Office issued the order to each county.

Upon seeing Chen Ping's report again, Fusu realized that the literacy campaign was progressing much more smoothly than he had anticipated. The counties in Guanzhong now had a high level of acceptance of literacy, and teaching was also a "trend" in Guanzhong.

Fusu wrote a reply and sent it to Chen Ping.

Then Fusu left the Northern Suburbs Palace and went to Weibei on a snowy day.

Fusu still remembered what Xiao He had said: as the governor of Weibei, he would definitely build this place up well.

Fusu also promised him that if Weibei was well governed, Xiao He would not stop him from returning to Chu in the future.

Not only would they not stop Xiao He, but they also planned to give him a position similar to that of a regional governor to ensure his smooth governance.

On his journey to Jingyang County, Fusu did not see Xiao He or Cao Can, but he did see his two nephews.

The carriage did not enter the county; Fusu merely glanced out the window at Liu Fei and Liu Ying, who were kneeling outside the county government building.

The two brothers were dressed in simple clothes, and as they knelt on the ground, their faces were not visible for a moment.

The carriage only made a brief stop outside the county. It didn't matter that they didn't see Xiao He and Cao Can, so they let Zhang Han drive the carriage around north of the Wei River.

The entourage for this trip was small, consisting of just over three hundred soldiers.

The carriage was not moving fast, and Fusu could see the changes in the counties north of the Wei River through the carriage window.

Zhang Han sat on the carriage shaft, personally driving the carriage for the emperor.

"How is the construction of the soy sauce workshops in Jingye County progressing?"

Upon hearing the emperor's words from inside the carriage, Zhang Han replied, "It went very smoothly. We will be able to brew soy sauce next year."

Fusu said, "If needed, you can have Li write a letter."

Even if necessary, Zhang Han dared not disturb the emperor, but still replied, "This subordinate obeys the order."

Despite the cold wind, the escorting soldiers marched in perfect formation. Although the emperor had reduced the number of troops, morale remained high. Furthermore, after Zhang Han took office as the Grand Secretary, he also rectified military discipline during his two years in charge of the troops in Guanzhong.

Zhang Han was like that; for him, it was better to endure more hardship and fatigue, but military discipline had to be strictly enforced.

After circling north of the Wei River, the emperor returned to Xianyang just as night was falling.

The next day, Xiao He's memorial arrived.

Fusu was having breakfast at Gaoquan Palace while reading Xiao He's memorial.

Tian An said, "Prefect Xiao and Cao Shen are both waiting outside the palace gate."

"Let them go back."

"Yes."

The emperor hoped that Xiao He and Cao Can could return to their counties as soon as possible and continue to sit in their posts, and not leave their posts for too long.

Fusu hoped that people would feel that labor is an honor, and that diligence and honesty are better qualities.

This quality should be promoted so that more people can learn from and advocate for it.

The lady was very happy today. The little princess kept giggling in the lady's arms, apparently because she liked the little rattle drum.

She held the rattle drum in her little hands, shook it a couple of times, and laughed when she heard the sound.

Because of the little princess's laughter, the atmosphere in the entire Takasen Palace became cheerful, and the palace eunuchs and maids were also much happier, with smiles on everyone's faces.

The little princess's smile is infectious; seeing her smile, everyone smiles along with her.

(End of this chapter)