The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 333 The Emperor's Thoughts
Ying Zheng said, "You often say that governing a country requires a down-to-earth approach. The Western Regions are far away and not as good as the Xiongnu. If they can continue to be vassals, that would be good. You should pay more attention to state affairs."

"Your Majesty's teachings are etched in my mind."

Ying Zheng cracked open a walnut and fed it to his granddaughter in Fusu's arms, smiling as he asked, "What did the letter say about etiquette?"

Fusu took the letter from his wife and handed it to his father, saying, "This is his letter."

Ying Zheng wiped the small pieces of walnut shell from his hands, took the paper, and opened it to read.

The letter mainly consisted of Li talking about his recent situation and inquiring about his family. Only at the end of the letter did he mention his difficulties and say that once he had recovered, he would go to the Great Wall and then return home.

Ying Zheng said, "This child could have come back much earlier."

Fusu nodded.

How do you plan to help him?

Fusu said, "It's not about helping him. Shejian's idea is correct. Cheshi can become a military town for Qin to station troops in the Western Regions, but it is absolutely impossible for it to become a second Tongguan."

"Don't overthink people or things. Reality is often unsatisfactory. I hope you won't set your expectations too high. Sometimes, just getting by is the norm. Success like Tongguan's is just a fluke."

Ying Zheng repeated, "Is it normal to just get by, and only to succeed by chance?"

Fusu nodded and said, "I have gained profound experience in governing the country over the years."

When Suqiu arrived in a new place, unlike her two older brothers who were happy and curious, she became very wary.

Now she sits in her mother's lap, hugging her neck, her eyes warily scanning her surroundings.

This child is very shy, even when he was little. He wouldn't let anyone hold him except the emperor and his wife.

When Tian An arrived, the cooks in the palace naturally made way for the Grand Attendant to prepare the meal.

The food at the palace today was very plentiful. Tian An had prepared a lot before we arrived, and the palace itself had also prepared a lot. All the meat and dishes were served at once, and there wasn't enough room on several tables.

After the meal, Fusu, his father, and his teacher took a walk along the mountain path of Mount Li to relax.

Fusu saw that the beacon tower on Mount Li had been rebuilt.

The emperor and his family did not leave Mount Li until dusk.

This time, the emperor did not mention inviting the two elders back to Xianyang when he came to Lishan.

Inside the hot spring palace of the Lishan Imperial Palace, Ying Zheng soaked in the hot spring and said, "Li Si, if you were to make another eastern tour, would you still be able to walk it?"

"I am old."

Ying Zheng said, "Yes, I am getting old."

What Li Si didn't say was that the current emperor was in his prime, and this new emperor would definitely make an eastern tour, at which point the world would probably be completely different.

Li Si and the new emperor were telling the truth. Every morning, he would climb the mountain to watch the sunrise, and at dusk, he would sit on the mountain to watch the sunset.

These past few years have passed in a cyclical manner, and for Li Si, these have been the most relaxed years of his life.

It was sunset again, and Li Si sat on the mountain, gazing at the distant scenery.

The world will definitely be different now. Sitting on the mountain and looking out over Guanzhong, Guanzhong is already different from what it was ten years ago.

The night breeze was still a bit chilly, but Li Si remained unmoved, still gazing at the setting sun in the distance.

"Prime Minister, this was sent from Xianyang."

Li Si took the dossier and carefully examined its contents, which contained a register of officials from the Prime Minister's office.

The emperor still did not appoint another prime minister.

After reading it, Li Si sighed and slowly stood up and walked down the mountain.

As Li Si walked down the mountain step by step, he realized that the emperor had written the words of various sages and philosophers in those books, and probably no one would ever say again that they were following the Legalist school.

With the Legalists gone... the other schools of thought will truly never have disciples again.

The emperor used papermaking and printing techniques to truly and completely control the dissemination of books.

Hidden behind this changing world are the results achieved by the emperor through repeated consolidation of power.

The fifth year of the new emperor's reign, the second month of the Qin dynasty's lunar calendar.

The climate in Guanzhong is still cold. Today is the first court meeting of the year. In addition to the officials who should be standing in Zhangtai Palace, there are also rows of officials from various counties in Guanzhong outside Zhangtai Palace.

The emperor required that the magistrates of each county must also be present at the start of the annual court council.

The number of officials in Guanzhong increased year by year, and the governance improved year by year.

Normally, the more officials there are, the easier it should be for the courtiers.

Although there are more and more people nowadays, the officials in each county are still just as busy, and some are even more tired.

The court debate proceeded as usual, not ending until the afternoon.

Fusu had a meal with his wife at Gaoquan Palace, and then returned to Zhangtai Palace.

After the eunuchs had organized the memorials from the officials, they placed them before the emperor.

Before long, the emperor had approved part of the replies.

Right Chancellor Feng Quji hurriedly entered the main hall of Zhangtai Palace, bowed and said, "Reporting to the Emperor, Chen Ping has submitted a memorial."

Fusu nodded.

Tian An took the memorial and placed it in front of the emperor.

When Fusu opened the memorial, he discovered that it was a register of names, which had been jointly written by Imperial Censor Chen Ping and Imperial Censor Gongzi Heng.

“Imperial Censor Gongzi Heng…” Fusu suddenly smiled, then looked at the names his son had written on the register. They were all local officials from various places. According to the report, Gongzi Heng and Chen Ping had arrived in Dongting County and were heading east.

Feng Quji said, "The people recorded on the roster are officials arrested by Prince Heng and Chen Ping in various places. Some of them have neglected their duties, some have privately employed laborers, and some have even privately levied taxes. There are also county officials who need to be dismissed from their posts. Please approve this, Your Majesty."

Fusu asked, "How many students passed the exam last year but have not yet been appointed to official positions?"

Feng Quji replied, "More than two hundred people."

"Hmm." Fusu said with a satisfied smile, "The number of people passing the exam is increasing every year."

Feng Quji bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I congratulate you on gathering scholars from all over the land to govern Qin."

Fusu said in a low voice, "I would much rather hear people talk about governing for the people."

"I believe that without the millions of common people, there would be no Qin. Governing Qin is the same as governing the people."

"The Right Chancellor's words sound somewhat like those of my teacher, who was also very eloquent in the past."

Feng Quji smiled sheepishly.

Fusu said, "From now on, I prefer to say that we govern for the people."

"Yes."

When will Chen Ping and the others be able to return at the earliest?

"Summer has arrived this year."

Fusu put away the register and said, "I have read it. Let the Court of Justice handle it."

Feng Quji accepted the list with both hands and said, "Recently, the officials have been discussing whether to appoint another prime minister."

Fusu said, "I have no plans to appoint another prime minister, and there's no need to bring it up again."

After bowing, Feng Quji left.

In fact, the Qin court could function normally even without a prime minister, so it seems that whether or not there was a prime minister was not important.

When the Guanzhong Plain welcomed sunny skies once again, March finally brought warmth to the region.

Fusu and Meng Tian rode their horses on the grassland in the northern suburbs.

All around were Qin troops accompanying the emperor on his travels. Fusu said, "A large amount of land has become the residence of various counties and villages. As the population of Guanzhong increases, there are fewer and fewer places to hunt."

Riding along, we saw almost no prey along this stretch of road.

Meng Tian said, "This humble general has heard that the horse farm in Qizhou has been completed."

"Yes, it was built by Xiao He."

Meng Tian said, "Xiao He has excellent judgment. Qizhou is indeed a good place to raise horses. I have personally visited it. The horse farm is very large, with rivers and vast grasslands."

Fusu said, "It's a pity that today's hunting trip with the Grand Commandant will yield nothing."

Meng Tian smiled and said, "It has been many years since I have come out to relax like this."

When they were teenagers, the two were very close.

After Meng Tian returned from the north, he became the Grand Commandant. Their positions were different, and it seemed that they could no longer play together as freely as they had in their youth.

Even if their youth was wonderful, there is still an insurmountable gap in status between the ruler and his subjects.

Meng Tian's beard had turned mostly white, but he still looked radiant as he sat on horseback.

Fusu asked, "What is the Grand Commandant's opinion on the affairs of the Cheshi Kingdom?"

Meng Tian replied, "I believe we should focus on construction and avoid long expeditions."

Fusu nodded, "That's what I think too. Jiayuguan is not yet fully built, but Cheshi is a good place for military farming in the Western Regions. Adapting to local conditions is enough."

Meng Tian bowed once more.

Fusu chewed on a date, eating the pitted one, and shared a few with Meng Tian.

Seeing that he was about to decline, Fusu said, "It's just a few dates. When we were little, you used to take me out for barbecue."

Meng Tian bowed and smiled, accepting the dates offered by the emperor.

"Originally, I did not want to discuss state affairs during this trip to relax, but some matters have been weighing on the minds of my ministers for years, and I need to ask the Grand Commandant to do some things."

Meng Tian bowed and said, "Your subject will certainly do his duty..."

Before Meng Tian could finish speaking of his willingness to die for his country, Fusu interrupted him, saying, "Recently, some people have advised us to invite Zhao Tuo and Tu Ju back. If these two generals stay in the south for too long, it will be difficult to invite them back in a few years. It is also said that Zhao Tuo is building a very large mausoleum in the south, which is comparable in scale to that of a feudal lord."

Seeing that Meng Tian also looked troubled, Fusu continued, "I am not in a hurry for them to return, nor do I believe these rumors. But this year I want to send more officials to the south, firstly to repair roads, and secondly to build prefectures and counties."

"If I simply send a document from the Prime Minister's office, I feel that it is not weighty enough. The Grand Commandant can write a letter to the south, informing the two generals that the power of governance has been handed over to the officials of the prefectures and counties in the south."

The emperor's meaning was clear: Zhao Tuo and Tu Ju could remain in the south, but they had to share power.

Fusu said, "If it still doesn't work, I can only conclude that the two generals are incompetent in governing the south and issue an edict to summon them back to Xianyang."

Meng Tian looked solemn. The emperor said he didn't believe those rumors, but it was also possible that those rumors were true.

"After I returned to Xianyang, I wrote down the military order and ordered someone to send it to the south as soon as possible."

Fusu said, “Last year when I went to Mount Li to visit my father, he told me to think less about the Western Regions and more about my own country. I understand the deeper meaning in his words. The South is the result of my father and teacher’s hard work, and I cannot allow it to be lost.”

The hunt lasted for three days, and Fusu also spent three days in the northern suburbs. During this time, when there were political matters, the officials would go to the imperial palace in the northern suburbs to report.

(End of this chapter)