Chapter 16: Guarding the Border

After Fusu finished reading the Bamboo Slip handed to him by Tian An, he left Gaoquan Palace.

The palaces of Xianyang Palace were too numerous to count, but fortunately, there were several archives here used to store the classics collected by Qin, including those related to agriculture, sericulture, and water conservancy; whether it was the Zheng Guo Canal or Dujiangyan, the process of their excavation had been recorded in detail.

Successive Kings of Qin had preserved these files and placed them in Xianyang Palace, where they became precious intellectual wealth.

Fusu felt that in this era, seeing these precious records was extremely rare.

Whether it was excavating the Longshou Canal or building the bridge over the West Wei River, knowledge of water conservancy was required.

The bookshelves in the archive were arranged neatly; Fusu picked up a roll of Bamboo Slip, his hands covered in quite a bit of dust, and as sunlight shone in from the window, one could see dust floating in the air.

It was only after Tian An opened all the windows here that the air became much better.

Just as Fusu was reading the book in his hands, an Attendant hurried over and whispered a few words into Tian An's ear.

After speaking, the Attendant saw the Prince reading here and dared not disturb him further, so he bowed and withdrew.

Fusu asked in confusion, "What is it?"

Tian An replied, "Today, the Emperor hosted a banquet for many famous scholars from Qi and Lu; the Confucian Scholars led by Chunyu Yue all submitted remonstrances, hoping the Emperor would follow the Zhou Rites, and the Prime Minister was furious upon hearing this."

Fusu said, "Recently, my teacher has been in a very bad mood."

Tian An nodded.

The conflict between Chunyu Yue and the teacher had existed for a long time, and it was precisely because of the teacher of this Prince of Qin that Chunyu Yue had submitted remonstrances several times.

Regarding state affairs, Chunyu Yue also hoped that the Prince of Qin would associate more with famous scholars from various schools of thought.

Governing a country is no easy task; this kind of debate would likely continue for a long time.

"Has the letter to Meng Tian been sent?"

"Replying to the Prince, it was sent to the north by fast horse early this morning."

People always need to learn more; fifteen or sixteen is the best age for learning, though of course, one should learn until the end of one's life.

When they spoke of the Zhou Rites, it was nothing more than the hope that the First Emperor would become the sovereign in their minds, a sovereign who would follow the Zhou Rites.

As for the teacher, observing the old ritual system meant returning to the Feudal System.

So, were the rituals that the teacher and those people like Chunyu Yue were fighting over?

Fundamentally, they were still arguing over the Feudal System versus the County System.

Arguing back and forth, it was endless.

Fusu kept his eyes on the book in his hands, and near noon, he had people pack all the books related to water conservancy into boxes and send them to Gaoquan Palace.

At noon, Fusu pan-fried a fish and simmered the fish head and bones into a soup.

Tian An had already prepared the food box; the lower part of the food box was cast from bronze, and the bottom could hold burning charcoal, so that the food inside could continue to be heated and would not go cold halfway.

"Prince, I had someone ask; the Emperor is at Zhangtai Palace."

Fusu tidied up and hurried out of Gaoquan Palace, heading toward Zhangtai Palace.

It was freezing cold, and even with the charcoal heating the bottom of the food box, the fish and soup might still go cold in the biting wind, so Fusu had to quicken his pace.

Heavy snow began to fall from the sky; perhaps in future records, Prince Fusu braving the snow to bring warm fish soup to the First Emperor to show his filial piety would be a great story told by the people.

In front of Zhangtai Palace stood guards in armor and Attendants in black robes.

After being announced, Fusu carried the fish soup into the hall.

Once inside the hall, it felt much warmer.

Looking up, the Father Emperor was writing comments on Bamboo Slips, his long beard almost touching the desk.

"Bring it here."

Hearing this, Fusu opened the food box and placed a bowl of fried fish and a bowl of fish soup before the Father Emperor's desk.

Ying Zheng took a bite of the fish and stroked his beard with satisfaction, saying, "Very good."

Fusu then served the warm fish soup.

Ying Zheng took the fish soup and drank a mouthful.

In the warm Zhangtai Palace, the father and son sat opposite each other, Prince Fusu handing the bowl and spoon to the First Emperor.

The First Emperor tasted the fish and drank the soup patiently.

Inside and outside the quiet hall, the Attendants and guards stood solemn and silent; perhaps this was the best father-son relationship in the world.

The First Emperor's expression remained serious, and he did not speak much; to have such a son, how enviable it was.

After the Father Emperor finished the fish soup and the fish, Fusu sat to the side, tidying up the bowls and chopsticks.

Ying Zheng's gaze first fell on the documents before him, then he looked at his son, who was busy tidying up, and his eyes shifted to his son's hair crown, saying in a low voice, "I should have someone make you a better hair crown."

Fusu nodded in response.

Ying Zheng picked up the brush set aside and continued to look at the documents.

In the quiet hall, only the incense burner drifted with thin smoke, and the heater was burning.

Ying Zheng asked again, "How is the repair of the Luo River canals coming along?"

"Replying to the Father Emperor, this is only the first year; the son believes it will be completed in three years at the earliest."

"Three years..." Ying Zheng frowned and said, "When do you plan to build the bridge over the West Wei River?"

Tian An stood to the side; there was not the slightest hint of blame in the First Emperor's words, but rather more concern.

For some reason, Tian An suddenly felt his nose ache and the corners of his eyes grow moist.

Yes... even if the old nobles of the Six States wanted to rebel against the First Emperor, even if those famous scholars of Qi and Lu criticized the First Emperor so much, fortunately, the First Emperor had Prince Fusu by his side to support him, father and son relying on and understanding each other.

Fusu replied, "I still don't know how to build it; there are a thousand things to do, and I don't know where to start."

Ying Zheng said, "I still remember when Zheng Guo was digging the canal, he left a few people behind; I will have them help you."

Fusu nodded in response and added, "I heard the teacher was very angry today; he argued with those famous scholars of Qi and Lu again."

"Hehehe..." Ying Zheng laughed and said, "They said I should follow the Zhou Rites, and Li Si couldn't stand it, so he retorted a few times..."

Not knowing why Fusu brought this up, Ying Zheng looked at his son; he was about to turn sixteen, and suddenly he understood that this child wanted to learn statecraft.

It is indeed the age to start learning these things. Ying Zheng smiled knowingly again and said in a low voice, "From now on, you shall come to the Court Discussion to listen to the administration."

"Thank you, Father Emperor."

Now that the Six States have all been destroyed by Great Qin, this is a critical stage for Qin to reshape the world, and these people naturally hope that the world remains as it was before.

Why? Could it be that they can still find another "Zhao Wuling Wang" to contend with Great Qin?

How many Zhao Wuling Wangs can there be in this world?

Seeing that his father's mood had stabilized, Fusu said no more, then rose, bowed, and left.

As he walked out of Zhangtai Palace, a cold wind blew toward him.

When he returned to Gaoquan Palace, Fusu heard again that the fifty-thousand-strong army that had just returned to Guanzhong had also been sent to the north, needing to build the Great Wall to defend against the Xiongnu, and these men were all led by Meng Tian.

That person in the Xiongnu tribe called Modu would likely become a hidden danger in the north.

The letter had warned repeatedly; one wonders what Meng Tian would think if he saw it.

The weather was truly too cold; after a snowfall, the ground had frozen into a thin layer of ice.

Today is an important day for the Prince to go to Zhangtai Palace to listen to the administration, which also shows that Prince Fusu of Great Qin is able to participate in state affairs.

Generally speaking, being able to say a word or two in Zhangtai Palace in front of the First Emperor counts as participating in state affairs.

Fusu put on his clothes and left Gaoquan Palace, walking in the cold wind. There were not many people moving about in Xianyang Palace in the morning. Only when he was about to reach Zhangtai Palace could he see ministers in twos and threes, discussing as they walked toward the main hall.

Fusu walked at the back without changing his expression, and those around him also noticed this young man walking among the court officials.

Not everyone recognized the Prince of Qin, and when someone recognized that this youth was Prince Fusu, only then did many people bow in trepidation.

There were many people attending the Court Discussion. Fusu walked to the entrance of Zhangtai Palace, and seeing everyone about to bow upon seeing him, Fusu had to bow in return.

After a short while, Fusu felt that if there were any more people, he might be exhausted just from bowing.

Before long, Fusu saw his teacher Li Si and an old man with gray hair and beard.

Li Si stepped forward quickly and bowed, "Prince."

"Teacher."

Li Si introduced him, "This is Great General Meng."

"So it is Great General Meng Wu."

Meng Wu smiled and said, "Haha, this humble general met the Prince back then; at that time, the Prince was still very small."

Fusu gave an awkward smile.

As more and more people came to attend the morning Court Discussion.

Chunyu Yue, wearing black-green court robes, was walking over quickly. Behind him were many others, all wearing the same clothes, a full dozen or more.

The steps in front of the main hall of Zhangtai Palace were high and numerous; some elderly people needed to support each other to walk up.

Seeing that the people in front of the hall were almost all present, an Attendant inside the hall announced in a loud voice, "Enter the hall!"

Only then did the crowd take off their shoes.

Walking into the hall, he felt a slight chill again. Fusu followed his teacher Li Si and found a seat in the front row.

After another half-quarter of an hour, following a loud shout from an Attendant.

The First Emperor, wearing black robes, walked into the main hall with a stern expression.

The crowd bowed one after another.

Once the First Emperor sat down, the crowd finally relaxed a little.

Li Si stood out from the court ranks first to explain the matters that needed to be discussed at today's Court Discussion.

Fusu stood in his position with the attitude of learning, listening to this Court Discussion.

Many other matters went very smoothly; as long as they were government affairs explained by Prime Minister Li Si and Vice Prime Minister Feng Quji, everyone passed the resolutions.

And the First Emperor sat in the main hall, remaining silent throughout.

Fusu was just thinking about whether to ask his teacher to go to Shangyan Mountain to take a look, when one matter caused everyone in the main hall to discuss it incessantly.

Zhangtai Palace is very high and large; even with over two hundred court officials standing in the main hall, it still appeared empty. The sound of everyone's discussion echoed continuously in the hall, like countless mosquitoes, forming a kind of low-frequency noise.

This kind of sound was already uncomfortable to hear, and as the court officials discussed for longer, the sound of the discussion gradually grew louder.

Up to now, Prime Minister Li Si's expression was particularly ugly.

Because of the need to build the northern Great Wall, it was necessary to relocate villagers from five commanderies to the north.

And once this matter of relocating people to guard the borders was brought up, it sparked such a large discussion, and the voices of opposition in the discussion grew more and more numerous.

Seeing one person step out of the ranks, that person was none other than the Qilu Doctor Chunyu Yue.

"May I ask the Prime Minister, how many households are to be relocated?"

Li Si stared at him and said in a deep voice, "Three thousand households."

Once these words were spoken, a wave of discussion erupted in the main hall.

Chunyu Yue said again, "Is the Prime Minister relocating the people in order to build the Great Wall?"

Li Si said, "To defend against the northern Xiongnu."

"Why has this subject heard that the Xiongnu presented tens of thousands of sheep to Qin?"

Li Si took a deep breath, as if to calm his emotions, and said again, "As soon as Meng Tian arrived in the north, he drove away the Xiongnu inside and outside the Yan and Zhao Great Wall. The Xiongnu sent such generous gifts to bribe us. Meng Tian did not accept their bribe and seized the Xiongnu's sheep."

Chunyu Yue said again, "Relocating people like this will cause the livelihoods in the northern commanderies to wither; who will till the fields?"

"There are naturally fields south of the Great Wall for them to cultivate."

"How can they settle down?"

Li Si replied again, "With a great army guarding the border, they can naturally settle down."

Another civil official stood out and said, "May I ask the Prime Minister, are you worried that the people in the old lands of the Six States will rise up in rebellion?"

Fusu noticed that his teacher was so angry for a moment that he did not know how to respond.

His teacher even swallowed hard, his gaze fixed on every Qilu Doctor who stood out to question him.

Now, Fusu understood a little upon seeing this scene.

In terms of the identities of those present, this looked like a confrontation between the Qi-Lu scholars and the Legalist school.

And what angered the teacher most was that some people actually claimed Great Qin was afraid the people in the lands of the former Six States would rise in rebellion, and that this was the reason for launching the migration to guard the borders.

How could this not be infuriating? The teacher had made the decision to migrate the people to guard the borders out of a public-spirited desire to resist the Xiongnu and protect the north.

Yet in the eyes of some, it had turned into a cowardly act born of fear that the people of the former Six States would rise in rebellion.

Being speculated about in such a way by petty people, Li Si breathed heavily; standing in the great hall, he faced the crowd and said loudly, "You all should go to the north and use your own eyes to take a good look at what the north is like now!"

"You speak such words here, but have you ever considered that once the north is lost, the scourge of the Xiongnu will plague more than half of the Central Plains!"

Li Si's voice grew louder, his tone filled with anger, and he added, "If we do not hold the north, the Xiongnu will head south! They will plunder our grain, our land, and our wives and children!"

The voice stopped, and the great hall returned to silence.

Li Si's words, like a roaring rebuke, still echoed slightly within the great hall.

Only the sound of the Prime Minister's breathing remained, along with the Prime Minister's angry gaze as he looked at everyone who had just stood up to oppose him.

Fusu sighed inwardly, wondering if the teacher's daily life was always this exciting.

Ying Zheng said, "The matter of migrating people to guard the borders must not be delayed. This matter shall be presided over by Li Si and Meng Wu. You are all dismissed."

The First Emperor's voice carried exhaustion, and he then rose and left the great hall.

The crowd bowed one after another; seeing that the teacher was still there giving instructions to a few people after most had left, Fusu stood to one side.

Another Attendant hurried over, bowed, and said, "The Emperor commands the Prince and the Prime Minister to stay for a meal."

After the matters at hand were settled, Li Si turned back and bowed, saying, "Prince."

Fusu stood where he was, bowed, and said, "Teacher faced the questioning of dozens of people without retreating a single step; Fusu admires this."

"When it concerns the stability of the north, this subject dares not retreat even half a step."

The Attendant bowed and said, "Prince, Prime Minister, please come this way."

Fusu followed this Attendant and the teacher toward the rear hall of Zhangtai Palace.

(End of chapter)