The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 341 The Three Return
After everyone else left the hall, only the emperor, Tian An, and Xu Fu remained.

When Xu Fu saw the emperor serving him a bowl of tea, he looked flustered and tried to bow.

Fusu helped Xu Fu up, placed the teacup in his hand, and said, "Drink."

"Your Majesty, I thank you for the tea."

After saying this, Xu Fu picked up the bowl and drank the tea in one gulp, feeling the warm tea flow through his stomach.

After a while, seeing that Xu Fu's mood had improved and he had stopped crying, they realized that he was in a better mood.

Fusu knew that Xu Fu's experience at sea had almost tormented him to the point of being inhuman, but looking at the nautical chart he had drawn, even though it only showed a part of the Japanese islands.

This also has great significance for the future, as the area Xu Fu set foot in was part of Qin territory, meaning that it was Qin territory from the beginning.

Xu Fu made a "mark" there to symbolize the Qin territory.

This mark is a huge stone tablet. Xu Fu said that the stone tablet was hammered into the ground and was very solid.

Over the next two hours, after Xu Fu's emotions had stabilized, he continued to recount what he had seen at sea and on the islands, and Fusu was able to distinguish between what was true and what was false.

Xu Fu began by recounting his experiences at sea, detailing his encounters in detail, which Fusu interpreted as the truth.

Drifting at sea is extremely boring, so boring that some people are almost going crazy, some have slept for many days, and some have even gotten sunburned and their skin has broken.

When Fusu held Xu Fu's hand, he could still feel his bony arm.

"Sir, please go and rest first. Would you be willing to take up a position at the Imperial Academy for the time being?"

Xu Fu bowed and said, "Your subject obeys."

Fusu said to Tian An, "Arrange a residence for the gentleman to stay in."

"Yes."

The emperor addressed Xu Fu as "sir," showing him respect.

The emperor should treat meritorious officials in this way, because the emperor hopes that there will be more people like Xu Fu with courage and determination in the future.

Tian An saw Xu Fu off as he left the palace gate, looking at Xu Fu's back with a mixture of sympathy and admiration.

In the third month of the sixth year of the new emperor's reign, after meeting the emperor, Xu Fu stayed in Xianyang City and refused to see anyone.

Xu Fu's experience at sea was extremely valuable, as the emperor remarked during a court meeting at Zhangtai Palace. It is rumored that Xu Fu is currently writing a book detailing methods for voyages…

Liu Feigang overheard these words in a restaurant in Chencang County after returning from Longxi.

Liu Fei, who had returned from teaching in the border region, now had a thick beard. It was really unsightly for a young man in his early twenties to have such a lush beard.

The shopkeeper noticed that Liu Fei was holding a sword. Although the customer was only wearing ordinary coarse cloth clothes, his skin color and complexion indicated that he came from the Northwest.

There was a waiter in the shop with a very keen sense of smell, and he could smell camel on Liu Fei.

Thus, carrying a sword yet not being questioned by the authorities, and coming from the northwest with the smell of a camel, he must be a general guarding the border.

Moreover, there was another person with him, also dressed in coarse cloth short clothes, but this person had old wounds on his feet and wrists, which clearly indicated that he was a prisoner.

Since the new emperor ascended the throne, corporal punishment has not been used lightly unless the crimes committed were extremely serious.

Liu Fei squatted by the stable with a small knife in his hand, his face reflected in the basin of water in front of him, carefully trimming his beard.

Meanwhile, the people around Liu Fei were also grooming their beards.

The stable boy saw the guest whose beard had been trimmed. After the guest's face was much cleaner, he realized that the guest was actually quite young.

Liu Fei looked at Huan Chu beside him and said, "Let's eat something together."

"Thank you." Huan Chu bowed.

He still spoke with a strong Chu accent.

After all these years, Liu Fei has almost forgotten his Chu accent.

It was precisely because of Huan Chu's accent that Liu Fei was willing to travel with him.

Standing up, Liu Fei patted his shoulder with a tattered cloth hanging to the side, and some fine hairs fell to the ground. His movements were swift and powerful.

The two then entered the main hall of the palace and asked the shopkeeper for food.

Liu Fei still had a lot of copper coins on him, all given to him by General Shejian.

He gave her this money because he had personally taught the son of General Shejian for two years.

Originally, Liu Fei did not intend to accept it, but General Shejian was afraid that someone in the army would report him to the Imperial Censorate for embezzlement.

Liu Fei accepted the large bowl of mutton soup that the shopkeeper brought him.

Huan Chu also took a bowl of mutton soup, picked up a flatbread from the table, and began to eat.

The shopkeeper brought out a third bowl of mutton soup, and the third guest was none other than Guan Ying, who was traveling with them.

The three of them made a lot of noise while eating, which quickly attracted the attention of other people in the restaurant.

But when they noticed the two swords on the table, no one dared to utter a sound.

After drinking a bowl of mutton soup the size of a washbasin, Guan Ying let out a loud burp and exclaimed, "That was satisfying!"

Liu Fei looked at Huan Chu beside him.

At this moment, there was still some soup in Huan Chu's bowl, but he was still chewing on the cake, chewing it very hard.

The restaurant owner was astonished by the appetites of these three people. Who were they? How could they eat so much?

Do the border troops in the Northwest not eat?

After finishing their meal, the three of them walked out of the restaurant together, and Guan Ying picked up his sword and mounted his horse.

Liu Fei mounted his warhorse, now able to ride with practiced skill. Huan Chu, a former prisoner, had only completed his ten-year term of hard labor and could only walk the rest of the way.

The three of them traveled in this way all the way from the Northwest.

Two people rode horses, and one person walked.

Huan Chu was wearing a pair of straw sandals, but the sandals were worn out.

I remember when he was in Longxi, Huan Chu made these straw sandals himself. He wore out one pair of straw sandals along the way, so he would change into another pair and make straw sandals as he went.

Huan Chu was penniless and had no food. If Liu Fei hadn't been willing to take him, he would most likely have starved to death if he had walked from the Hexi Corridor to Longxi.

It's the busy farming season in Guanzhong. Traveling during this time is neither too hot nor too cold. But if it were the sweltering heat of summer, one would probably die from the heat.

Jiayuguan is still under construction, and there are still many people working on it today.

Guan Ying asked, "What crime did Huan Chu and his brother commit to be forced into hard labor?"

"Rebel against Qin".

Upon hearing the other party's calm words, Guan Ying almost fell off his horse.

Fortunately, he had seen and experienced many people and scenes over the years through his hard work and travels, and he quickly regained his composure.

Looking back at Huan Chu's appearance and expression, how could someone who committed the crime of rebelling against Qin still be alive?

Guan Ying, seated on horseback, bowed towards Xianyang and said, "The new emperor loves his people, and I admire him greatly."

As they walked, Guan Ying and Liu Fei deliberately slowed down their horses so that Huan Chu could recount his past.

This past is related to the Chu people who rebelled against Qin, including many famous figures from the old Chu aristocracy.

The more Guan Ying heard these things, the more he believed they were true.

Guan Ying was knowledgeable and had extensive connections in the Central Plains, so it wasn't difficult for him to inquire about certain things.

Guan Ying had indeed heard of Xiang Liang's deeds, and Xiang Liang was the one with the strongest anti-Qin sentiment in the Chu region.

However, after the new emperor ascended the throne, Guan Ying, having no means of making a living, went to join the army.

The emperor is kind to the people, and the world is still quite stable. If heroes were to rise up across the land, Guan Ying would also like to lead an army to rebel against Qin. Selling cloth is not as promising as rebelling.

Guan Ying could only keep these thoughts to himself, after all, the world now belonged to the emperor, and the world was showing an increasingly positive trend.

Guan Ying said, "Fortunately, you were not the mastermind behind this, nor did you commit any murder."

Huan Chu said, "The emperor acts fairly and justly. I admit my guilt. I did indeed introduce many famous scholars from the old Chu noble families to Xiang Liang."

Liu Fei said, "I received a letter from Jingyang earlier. Master Fan Zeng is still living in Tongguan City and is lecturing on Chu studies at the Imperial Academy."

Huan Chu nodded, which was precisely why he wanted to travel with Liu Fei.

Guan Ying pressed on, "Is Xiang Yu still alive?"

Liu Fei said, "I don't know whether Xiang Yu is alive or dead."

Huan Chu didn't say much, but suddenly smiled. He knew that Xiang Yu must still be alive.

The long-awaited spring thunder roared over Guanzhong, and the three people, who had been traveling for several days, came to a county government village to take shelter from the rain.

Liu Fei tidied his bundle and took out the cakes he had prepared, distributing them to Guan Ying and Liu Fei.

The three of them sat outside the county government building, eating pancakes and watching the rain.

The local magistrate allowed the three men to sit, as Qin law required that Qin soldiers stationed on the border be treated well by the county government.

As the county magistrate, he wished he could invite this person into the county government for a proper reception.

However, after the rain stopped, the magistrate saw that the two Qin soldiers and another person had all left.

Along the road from Chencang to Xianyang, you can see farmers working in the fields as you pass by the imperial highway.

It is the busiest time of the year for farming.

The city of Xianyang was in sight in the distance, and the roads were much busier, with more and more pedestrians, even becoming somewhat crowded.

The three of them walked across Xianyang Bridge and remained silent the rest of the way.

Liu Fei did not inform Uncle Xiao and Uncle Cao Can before returning this time, as they were also people who had served on the frontier and were no longer the children they used to be.

Moreover, Liu Fei had long disliked being treated like a child.

After noon, the three arrived in front of Xianyang City.

Liu Fei and Guan Ying both had to go to the Grand Commandant's office to report on their journey and the documents that needed approval.

Huan Chu was heading to Tongguan. He took a long look at the city of Xianyang from afar and then parted ways with the two men.

Huan Chu studied with Mr. Fan Zeng when he was very young.

Back when he was in the State of Chu, Huan Chu had also heard the legends of the State of Qin, but at that time people did not regard the State of Qin as a hegemon capable of unifying the six states. Some even thought that the strategy of the Vertical Alliance could be used to control the State of Qin.

But as they saw, the powerful Qin Dynasty was not afraid of their schemes at all. The mighty Qin Dynasty met a powerful Qin King and thus unified the six kingdoms, an unprecedented and dreamlike feat.

The journey from Xianyang to Tongguan was still quite long, and Huan Chu walked slowly, wanting to take in as much of the scenery as possible.

Huan Chu knew, of course, that his close friend Xiang Yu was still alive, but he did not know where Xiang Yu was.

Walking on the land of Guanzhong, Huan Chu finally saw the legendary Tongguan City.

When the Qin people built this city, it was Prince Fusu who commissioned its construction. Huan Chu looked at the stone tablet in front of Tongguan City, on which was inscribed the origin of the city.

(End of this chapter)