Chapter 19: We Are All Disciples of Xunzi

Xunzi has many disciples; perhaps even Xunzi himself does not know how many he has, if everyone who reads Xunzi's classics considers the old master their teacher.

Then, in another two thousand years or more... the disciples of the old master Xunzi will surely be spread all over the world; if there are Xunzi's students all over the world, they would indeed be countless.

As a disciple of Xunzi, having such an ideal is extremely normal, isn't it?

After Shusun Tong left, three hours passed before a military report was sent from Shangyan Mountain.

Fusu flipped through the contents of the urgent report: Shusun Tong had arrived at Shangyan Mountain, the journey had been very smooth, and it was General Zhang Han who personally brought him into the village.

General Zhang Han is a man whose heart is filled with loyalty.

Fusu hopes that someone like Zhang Han can influence Shusun Tong.

The next day, Prime Minister Li Si brought Zhang Cang to Gaoquan Palace.

Tian An came to welcome them personally, saying with a smile: "Recently, the Prince has often been reading books and raising fish, and has also planted some bamboo and pine trees."

Li Si walked along with Tian An and added: "I heard the Prince sent Shusun Tong to Shangyan Mountain?"

"Hmm..." Tian An nodded and explained: "The Prince selected three hundred disciples for Shusun Tong; Shusun Tong was deeply grateful and went to Shangyan Mountain in person to teach."

Li Si did not care about the hidden reasons; since it was the Prince's arrangement, there was naturally nothing to quibble about.

At first, walking into the palace, one did not feel there were many Attendants and palace maids here, but the closer one got to Gaoquan Palace, the more people there were.

This gave Zhang Cang a very strange feeling; the number of palace servants here had already exceeded the regulations, likely because this was the former residence of Huayang Taihou?

Zhang Cang kept his head lowered along the way, observing the surroundings with his peripheral vision; the palace servants here were all chatting and laughing, and everyone seemed to be living quite well?

The harmony and laughter within Gaoquan Palace left Zhang Cang utterly bewildered; with so many palace servants here, why were these people able to live so happily?

Following behind the Prime Minister, Zhang Cang heard the Prime Minister and an old Attendant talking, and everything they said concerned the Prince.

Inside the hall, Fusu was reading a scroll, with two pots of plum blossoms placed to the side.

In the eyes of the palace maids in the hall, the Prince likely felt this winter was too cold, so much so that even the plum blossoms would not bloom, which was why he had the half-person-tall plum blossoms moved into the hall.

The Prince must be looking forward to the plum blossoms blooming, so everyone in Gaoquan Palace was also looking forward to the plum blossoms blooming.

As long as the Prince is happy, everyone in Gaoquan Palace, from top to bottom, will be happy.

Fusu was reading the books of the old master Confucius, understanding his "Spring and Autumn" style of writing, knowing that later generations, upon seeing the stories under the "Spring and Autumn" style, would be fascinated.

"Prince, the Prime Minister has arrived."

Fusu looked up and smiled: "Teacher, have you eaten?"

Li Si bowed and said: "Your subject is still thinking about the Prince's fish soup to this day."

"Good, we shall have fish soup today."

Before Li Si could introduce the person beside him, he was pulled away by the Prince to help kill the fish; he felt somewhat apprehensive, but also felt that the bond between teacher and student had deepened.

Zhang Cang was left standing alone in the hall, speechless as he faced the two plum blossom trees.

It looked like these two had just been dug out of the soil not long ago; Zhang Cang sighed—being recommended by the Prime Minister to meet the Prince was already a great honor.

Just as he thought he should have no other desires in his heart, Zhang Cang noticed the Bamboo Slips to the side; these Bamboo Slips were piled together, all of them classics of the various masters, including those of Confucius and Mencius.

Zhang Cang picked up one of the scrolls and stood where he was to read it.

When the sound of voices came again, Zhang Cang looked up once more to see the Prince and the Prime Minister walking back, followed by palace maids carrying earthen bowls.

And the two plum blossom trees were still before his eyes.

Fusu smiled: "Teacher, Censor Zhang, please take your seats quickly."

Each of the three had a bowl of fish soup, a basin of fish meat, and a piece of flatbread; this was the morning meal for today.

Fusu said: "Censor Zhang, have a taste."

Li Si, sitting on the other side, picked up his earthen bowl first and drank a mouthful of fish soup with great enjoyment.

Fusu watched as Zhang Cang hesitated, but with the bowl already at his lips, Zhang Cang drank it all in one breath; he even put the ginger slices from the bowl into his mouth and began chewing them.

Li Si said: "Since the beginning of summer this year, Chunyu Yue or Zhou Qingchen have petitioned several times, hoping that another teacher could be found to instruct the Prince; the Prince cannot listen only to the words of your subject."

As the Prime Minister was speaking, Zhang Cang was still eating with his head down; he handed his earthen bowl to an Attendant nearby, and the Attendant served him another bowl of fish soup.

This Zhang Cang was still chewing on his flatbread, and after the fish soup and fish meat entered his mouth, he even wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

Tian An stood to the side; this Censor recommended by the Prime Minister looked, no matter how one viewed him, like an honest man who only knew how to eat.

"Your subject brought Zhang Cang to meet the Prince because I wish to ask Zhang Cang to instruct the Prince."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Cang, who was stuffing flatbread into his mouth, suddenly froze; the chewing motion in his mouth stopped, and he looked at Li Si in disbelief, his expression particularly innocent, as if to say that you, Li Si, did not mention this before coming.

Li Si introduced him: "This is my fellow student Zhang Cang; he has loved reading since he was young and studied under Xunzi together with me."

Fusu bowed and said: "In the future, I hope for your guidance, Teacher."

Hearing this, Zhang Cang hurriedly swallowed the food in his mouth and bowed in a somewhat rushed and flustered manner: "Your subject Zhang Cang dares not accept the title of teacher from the Prince."

This Zhang Cang looked to be only about thirty years old; Fusu said: "I often read the books of Han Fei; although I have never met Han Fei himself, I privately consider Han Fei to be my teacher, and later, the Prime Minister became my teacher."

Zhang Cang remained in a bowing posture, his head lowered and very respectful.

"Since I read the books of Han Fei and have the Prime Minister's instruction, then I am also a student of Xunzi."

Zhang Cang kept his head lowered, his heart in turmoil.

Li Si said: "Prince, Zhang Cang is learned and profound; Zhang Cang has delved into the classics of all the various schools of thought."

Fusu added: "Then in the future, I hope for your guidance, Teacher."

"Your subject dares not instruct the Prince."

Seeing that it was already afternoon, Li Si thought of the many matters at home and did not mention Li You, acting as if he had forgotten he even had such a son.

After the morning meal was finished, Li Si took his leave and prepared to depart with Zhang Cang.

Fusu personally saw the two of them to the outside of the hall, followed by a few more pleasantries.

Receiving a hint from the Prime Minister's eyes, Zhang Cang hurriedly bowed and said: "Your subject dares to ask, is the Prince reading the 'Spring and Autumn' of Confucius and the works of Mencius?"

Fusu nodded in understanding and said: "The old master Xunzi once said, 'The ruler is the boat, and the Commoners are the water.' And Mencius once said, 'The people are the most important, the state comes next, and the ruler is the least.'"

Zhang Cang nodded slightly.

"Although our teacher Xunzi and Mencius were separated by nearly a hundred years, the two elders' core views on governing the state and the people are extremely consistent."

Having said this, Fusu explained further: "I am a Prince of Qin; I need to learn, and to learn, one must be down-to-earth, observing and asking questions often."

Zhang Cang bowed and saluted once more, saying: "After I return to consult the classics, I shall provide the Prince with answers."

With that, Li Si finally wore a satisfied smile, and at last, he left with Zhang Cang, feeling fully content.

Fusu returned to the hall and tidied the scattered books on the desk; a bowl of fish soup had traded for a teacher—it was truly a bargain.

Tian An helped him tidy up, whispering: "The Prime Minister wants to help you, Prince. By introducing his classmate to you, the Prime Minister will also introduce his connections and his classmates to you in the future."

Li Si is a very loyal man; at least, he is extremely loyal to the First Emperor, and this loyalty is tied to his lifelong ideals and his lifelong beliefs.

And now, the First Emperor's eldest son, the Prince of Qin, can become the continuation of Li Si's ideals, so he will naturally pour everything he has into the Prince.

Now it is introducing a classmate; in the future, Li Si will also entrust his life and family to the Prince.

Seeing the Prince remain silent, Tian An thought he had said the wrong thing and hurriedly stepped back to bow.

Fusu placed the Bamboo Slip on the bookshelf, reached out to pat his back, and said: "Back then, before Grandmother's sickbed, only you worked tirelessly to take care of everything inside and out. Now that Grandmother has passed, in this Xianyang Palace... apart from Father Emperor, you, old man, are the person closest to me."

"Besides me, these words... to whom else could you say them?" Fusu whispered: "It doesn't matter, don't worry about saying the wrong thing; in my heart, you are an elder."

Tian An turned away, wiping his tears with his sleeve.

Until nightfall, those two plum blossom trees remained in the hall; the Prince had no intention of moving them, and the people of Gaoquan Palace were all looking forward to them blooming along with the Prince.

Late at night, when Xianyang Palace returned to silence, Tian An arrived at the First Emperor's sleeping quarters.

Inside the sleeping quarters, the candlelight was bright, and the First Emperor was reviewing reports sent from the north; after Meng Tian arrived in the north, he drove away several Xiongnu tribes, everything looked very smooth, and the plan to relocate people to guard the borders was also proceeding in an orderly manner.

Tian An walked into the hall and silently picked up a Bamboo Slip that had fallen to the floor.

"Li Si went to see Fusu today?"

"The Prime Minister also brought Zhang Cang along to see the Prince."

Ying Zheng nodded and said: "How has Fusu been lately?"

"Replying to Your Majesty, the Prince is doing very well. When the Prince was young, Huayang Taihou said that the Prince was the most gifted child she had ever seen in her life. This child does not play with his peers and is very lonely, yet he is very sensible. After the Empress passed away, the Prince seemed even more lonely; although lonely, the Prince is an extremely strong and wise child."

Ying Zheng raised his head slightly, his gaze briefly leaving the Bamboo Slip, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly, saying: "I know."

With just that simple sentence, Ying Zheng withdrew his gaze once again, looking at the military report in his hands.

Tian An glanced at the First Emperor, his eyes still filled with hot tears.

In this Xianyang Palace, the First Emperor and Prince Fusu were in the same situation; father and son were both equally lonely and strong.

The next day, after the palace maids finished washing the Prince's clothes, they hung them in the back hall to dry.

Fusu happened to pass by and heard them whispering gossip, saying that Tian An had gone to see the First Emperor late last night, and after returning, the old man had cried for a long time before the spirit tablet of Huayang Taihou.

Tian An is an old man with very rich emotions, sentimental and kind to others.

It was a rare sunny day, and early in the morning, Tian An was in high spirits, ordering the hundreds of palace servants in Gaoquan Palace; the entire Gaoquan Palace began a deep cleaning, moving out everything that could be moved to be washed, and then taking out the Prince's tables, chairs, and several large chests of books to sun them.

Tian An shouted: "Be quick with your hands and feet; if we don't take them out to sun now, they will all be moldy after the twelfth lunar month."

"Swish, swish..." piles of Bamboo Slips were moved out, then spread on the ground, hung on the steps, or suspended under the eaves; wherever could be sunned, Bamboo Slips were being sunned.

At times like this, one could not stay in Gaoquan Palace, as the area outside the palace was filled with things.

Fusu, having nothing to do, came to the Imperial Censor Office.

The Imperial Censor Office was near the Prime Minister's Mansion; usually, the work here was presided over by the Vice Prime Minister of Great Qin, Feng Quji, and the Imperial Censor Office was the Vice Prime Minister's territory.

Since he had taken Zhang Cang as his teacher, even if the apprenticeship ceremony was not grand, he was still a teacher, traded for a bowl of fish soup.

It was during the break from court, so there was no one here usually; Zhang Cang was indeed not here, but when Fusu pushed open the door, he saw someone else.

That person was wearing official robes, and a ray of sunlight was shining in through the door crack.

The person's hair and beard were somewhat messy, and their eye sockets were deeply sunken, as if they had not slept well for a long time.

Fusu stood at the door and confirmed it once more, confirming that there was truly no one else in the Imperial Censor Office, before walking into the office.

That person saluted and said: "Subject Cheng Miao pays respects to the Prince."

Fusu said: "No need for formalities; have you eaten?"

"Subject..." Cheng Miao hesitated: "Subject brought dry rations."

Fusu took a pancake from his sleeve, handed it to him, and said: "This is a pancake made just today; it is still warm."

Cheng Miao said again: "Subject dare not accept the Prince's..."

"It is just a pancake, of no great importance." Fusu explained further: "I originally came today to find my teacher Zhang Cang, but unfortunately he is not here today. I wonder if Imperial Censor Cheng has dealings with Zhang Cang?"

"Subject is a good friend of Zhang Cang."

"I have written a letter, and I hope Imperial Censor Cheng can help me deliver it."

"Subject accepts the order."

Fusu then found a seat in the Imperial Censor Office, picked up a roll of fresh Bamboo Slip, and took up a brush to write, recording his confusion from his studies to have Cheng Miao deliver it to Zhang Cang.

Cheng Miao took the Bamboo Slip, still acting respectfully.

Afterwards, Fusu looked through the documents here; the Imperial Censor Office of Great Qin was a very special existence, more like an archive, preserving various confidential files.

Fusu spoke while reading, "Father Emperor wants to build a bridge over the West Wei River, and I need some books related to bridge construction."

"That is why I am inquiring of my teacher; I hope Imperial Censor Cheng will not take offense."

Cheng Miao remained respectful, holding the pancake bestowed by the Prince and not daring to move; the pancake was still somewhat warm and was emitting a charming wheat fragrance—the pancake was truly too fragrant.

Before his eyes were documents written by the frontline officials of Great Qin.

Local documents were sent to Xianyang, and then one could see how Xianyang sent officials to the localities.

These documents were different from the files usually seen in the library; the files in the library had all been organized and summarized.

But the files here were written by real frontline officials; understanding the flow of these documents was like watching the operational process of this state machine.

The documents of the Imperial Censor Office were of great learning value.

And on the side, Cheng Miao had already stood in a corner, stroking his beard while eating the pancake, his eyes dazed, likely wondering what he should do, what he should say, and why the Prince had not left yet...

(End of chapter)