The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 326 Winter Solstice Family Feast
If he was never able to rebel against Qin again in his lifetime, at least Zhang Liang could write it down. Of all the reforms implemented by various states to strengthen themselves, the reforms in Han were the most radical.

During the three days of heavy snow in Sichuan, Zhang Liang hardly went out, but instead kept writing about the events in Han that year.

On the fourth day, Zhang Liang carried a thick stack of paper, rolled it up, put it in a bamboo tube, and once again arrived at the county government of Jiangyuan County.

This time, Magistrate Wu personally came to welcome Zhang Liang. As they walked, he said, "How can you go out in this heavy snow? Aren't you afraid of catching a cold?"

Zhang Liang handed over the bamboo tube in his hand and said, "Magistrate Wu, please take this to the Imperial Academy and give it to Master Wang, the Prefect of the Imperial Academy."

Magistrate Wu first looked at the bamboo tube, hesitated for a moment, then took the bamboo tube and said, "It just snowed heavily outside, and the road from Shu to Guanzhong is blocked by the snow."

“I know,” Zhang Liang said calmly, then added, “We can send it again next spring.”

Magistrate Wu took the heavy bamboo tube and placed it on the table where he usually stored his documents. He then said, "Next spring, I also want to go to Guanzhong. Why don't we go together?"

Zhang Liang shook his head and said, "I'm not going. I still need to keep an eye on things at the academy."

"There are so many teachers, it's not like you're the only one teaching."

“There are a few children who always struggle with their homework, and a few children from other families who don’t want to come to school. We need to persuade them slowly.”

The magistrate of Wu County was not wearing official robes and seemed unfazed by the cold. He usually dressed like a villager and disliked wearing shoes.

"You don't need to do these things yourself; you can have someone else do them."

Zhang Liang said, "Other teachers can't persuade them, but the people in the county can at least listen to me. Other teachers can't persuade those people."

“Hehehe…” Magistrate Wu pointed at Zhang Liang and laughed, “I can see that you really cherish those children. For their sake, you don’t go home, you don’t go to Guanzhong, and you don’t even want to become an official.”

Zhang Liang nodded.

Magistrate Wu continued, "Master Han, as the magistrate, I often review official documents. There are some things I need to discuss with you first."

Zhang Liang said, "Magistrate, please speak."

The magistrate of Wu County said, “You said you were unwilling to be an official, but all the teachers in the future will receive an annual salary from Qin. Each county will have a chief teacher in charge of teaching affairs. I know you are used to being undisciplined, but you should know that the reason Qin made this arrangement is to put the power of teaching in the hands of the emperor.”

Zhang Liang nodded.

Magistrate Wu continued, "Even if you don't want to be an official, as long as you are still teaching, you cannot escape the control of the official system."

"That's alright."

Zhang Liang seemed to have anticipated these things, and his expression remained calm.

Magistrate Wu put his arm around Zhang Liang's shoulder and asked, "Have you already decided that if the county's schools really fall under the control of the Imperial Academy, you'll stop teaching?"

Zhang Liang said, "Actually, it's under the control of the Imperial Academy right now, isn't it?"

The magistrate of Wu County nodded.

Zhang Liang then said, "Let's discuss the future later."

Seeing the man about to leave, Magistrate Wu said to his departing figure, "Once you become an official, you can no longer refuse to go to Guanzhong. Don't disobey orders without cause."

The words were spoken, but it was unclear whether he could hear them.

The magistrate of Wu County looked at the bamboo tube in front of him, which was still sealed with wax, and beckoned to someone, saying, "Send it to the Imperial Academy."

“Magistrate, the heavy snow has just stopped, and the mountain roads are impassable.”

The magistrate of Wu County picked up a scroll from the side and was about to hit the clerk on the head, but the clerk nimbly dodged it.

"The mountain road is impassable... If it's impassable, can't you take a detour?"

The clerk quickly left the county government office to handle his business.

Magistrate Wu still made things convenient for Master Han.

A month later, in Guanzhong, at Xianyang Palace. It was the winter solstice again, a time when families should reunite. But the emperor was still at the Lishan Palace, the teacher was unwilling to return, one of the two sons was out inspecting various counties, and Li had returned home.

However, he has to take care of his younger sister as soon as he gets home.

Li held his three-year-old sister and said to her, "You'll be four next year."

Suqiu sat in her brother's lap, playing with his long hair with her fingers, and said, "We're having dumplings today."

Li asked in a low voice, "Is there any vinegar?"

Suqiu dislikes vinegar.

The little princess still had some difficulty speaking, and her pronunciation was not very clear.

With their daughter being looked after by their son, the emperor and his wife had much less to do.

This little princess is very clingy. She can't be separated from her wife for too long, nor can she be separated from the emperor for too long. One of the couple must be present.

Even so, this little princess doesn't give Tian An any face. Whenever her parents are away for a long time, no matter how hard Tian An tries to coax her, the child will still cry.

However, the little princess became quiet in the young master's arms.

Actually, Li felt a little regretful. Taking care of his younger sister was really tiring, and he wanted to go back to his studies.

Today is the Winter Solstice, a very important festival for the people of Qin. Tian An sat in front of the memorial tablet of Empress Dowager Huayang and even wiped it very clean.

After finishing all that, Tian An took out the dumplings. Lunch was ready: a big pot of mutton soup, dumplings, flatbread, and pickled radishes and celery.

Li hadn't eaten yet, so he needed to take care of his younger sister first. He asked her what she wanted to eat from all the delicious food on the table. Only after his sister had eaten her fill did he have time to eat himself.

Only after her mother took her younger sister away did Li feel relieved, and the weight in her arms finally lifted. She then took the opportunity to eat quickly.

A palace attendant hurried over, and Tian An stepped forward to inquire before taking a scroll of paper. He then handed it to the emperor, saying, "A letter from Shu."

Upon receiving the emperor's glance, Tian An knew what to do without even speaking. He set the letter aside and would read it after his meal.

The little princess was holding a chicken wing in her hand, trying to bite it with her tiny teeth. The chicken wing seemed like her greatest enemy; she couldn't bite it and was very distressed.

"Father, may I go to the army to guard the border ahead of schedule?"

Upon hearing this, the lady's expression remained unchanged.

In the eyes of the people in the palace, the lady did not care about the young master's affairs.

Fusu asked, "When do you want to go?"

Li thought for a moment and said, "Next year."

Fusu added, “You can go early, but you must think it through. Once you go, you can’t go back on your word. No matter how difficult the road to the border is, you must grit your teeth and walk it.”

"Your son obeys."

Just then, Wang Ben arrived with a bundle of food, followed by someone carrying a freshly slaughtered sheep that was still steaming.

Li was eating dumplings, which were so hot they kept spitting out their mouths. After finally swallowing one, he happily exclaimed, "Grandpa!"

"Haha!" Wang Ben laughed loudly, "Young Master has grown taller again."

"My father promised me that I would go to the army next year."

“Like the eldest son, I will go to the army at the age of sixteen.” Wang Ben nodded emphatically and said, “Good, very good.”

The people of Qin took joining the army very seriously; it was a consensus among the Qin people that boys should naturally join the army.

(End of this chapter)