Chapter 28: Congratulatory Gift

Luli Xiansheng is useful to Great Qin, and useful to the Emperor as well.

Yet this matter had nothing to do with this Prince himself; Fusu flipped through the imperial decree brought by Feng Quji and read it repeatedly. Since he now held an official post, he had to do his work well and could not allow for any delays.

Xianyang, Prime Minister's Mansion.

Zhang Cang stepped over the threshold and walked into the mansion.

The officials coming and going in the mansion saw that it was Zhang Cang and bowed one after another.

Zhang Cang was someone the Prime Minister relied upon heavily, and he was also the teacher of Prince Fusu; he had even studied under Xunzi alongside the Prime Minister.

Inside the residence, Li Si was looking at the war reports from the north, as well as the additions to the officials of the Three Councillors and Nine Ministers. Seeing Zhang Cang arrive, he smiled and said, "Wang Jian has returned, and I am truly becoming busier and busier."

Zhang Cang stood to one side and bowed slightly, "If the Prince were here, he would surely come to help the Prime Minister handle the documents."

Li Si's movements as he flipped through the Bamboo Slip were pleasant to hear; he suddenly said, "The Prince can review documents now?"

"The Prince has not yet reviewed documents, but he has read quite a few."

Li Si set down the Bamboo Slip in his hand and looked at the blue sky outside the room—it was the moment of the year when the spring scenery was at its best. While relaxing his shoulders and neck, he said, "Zhang Cang..."

Before the Prime Minister had finished speaking, Zhang Cang, standing respectfully to the side, had already cupped his hands and bowed.

Li Si looked up at the blue sky and white clouds and asked, "How has Mao Heng been lately?"

Zhang Cang replied, "The Prime Minister knows what kind of person Mao Heng is; he knows nothing of political affairs and only understands the Classic of Poetry."

Li Si laughed, "Of course I know. Is he still cursing me now?"

Zhang Cang gave a helpless smile.

Everyone had studied under Xunzi, so naturally, they all understood each other.

It is only a pity that Han Fei is no longer here...

Li Si added, "I read the records sent from the Scholar Office yesterday; you and Luli Xiansheng had quite a good discussion. Fortunately, with you and the Prince, that old gentleman is willing to stay in Xianyang."

"Prime Minister, this is my duty."

Li Si stood with one hand behind his back and stroked his beard with the other, saying, "You have been teaching the Prince for half a year now?"

"Starting from the twelfth lunar month of last year, it has been nearly half a year."

"I read the records of the Scholar Office, as well as the words between you and that old gentleman; why is it that I have never heard you mention some of those arguments before?"

Zhang Cang frowned, not knowing how to answer; Li Si did not even suspect that this was because of the Prince.

Most likely, Li Si, also being a teacher of the Prince, had no idea what was in the Prince's mind.

The conversation at the Scholar Office was indeed influenced by the Prince; Zhang Cang felt that some of the things said were... indeed impeccable, especially regarding the system for selecting officials.

So much so that now, as Li Si looked back, he was this suspicious.

Seeing that Zhang Cang did not reply, Li Si patted him on the shoulder and said again, "The Poetry, History, Rites, Music, and Spring and Autumn Annals taught by our teacher—I have always thought my own learning and knowledge were still shallow, and I have failed our teacher."

Seeing Zhang Cang standing where he was, still silent and appearing somewhat troubled.

Li Si suddenly smiled, trying to make the other person feel more at ease, and said in a low voice, "I have always thought that the teacher's proudest disciple was Han Fei."

Zhang Cang said, "The teacher's proudest disciple is indeed Han Fei, but the teacher's most glorious disciple should be the Prime Minister."

Li Si sighed with emotion, "If the year is not cold, one cannot know the pine and cypress. If an affair is not difficult, one cannot become a gentleman... What the teacher taught has been of infinite use to me."

Having said this, Li Si added, "I leave the matter of Luli Xiansheng to you."

Zhang Cang said, "I dare not claim the credit."

Li Si nodded with appreciation, "I still have matters to report to His Majesty; look after the Prince well."

Before Zhang Cang could say anything more, Li Si had already walked away quickly.

Walking out of the Prime Minister's Mansion, Li Si paused for a moment, his heart full of thoughts, yet he could not see through Zhang Cang's depth; after all, Zhang Cang's speech was watertight.

Back when they studied under Xunzi, the teacher gave the *Classic of Poetry* to Mao Heng, gave the *Classic of History* to himself and Han Fei, but gave the *Spring and Autumn Annals* to Zhang Cang.

After considering these things, Li Si walked quickly toward the palace gate.

Zhang Cang remained standing inside the Prime Minister's Mansion; he took a scroll of Bamboo Slip from his sleeve, which contained his views on the appointment of officials.

In truth, the Prince was a person good at asking questions, and Zhang Cang did not know... whether it was because he was influenced by the Prince that he had written this scroll.

Last winter, in the correspondence with the Prince, the Prince had once said that in this world, the vast majority of things do not have perfect choices; how could there be so many optimal solutions in this world?

Since it is not an optimal solution, there must be bad aspects to it.

Zhang Cang hesitated for a long time before sitting down to help the Prime Minister deal with the remaining documents.

It was not until the night grew deep that Li Si returned to the Prime Minister's Mansion with a weary expression.

At this moment, the Prime Minister's Mansion was still brightly lit; there were no other minor officials here, only Zhang Cang, who was still sitting in the mansion, reviewing documents.

In the silent night, the night wind blew into the mansion, and the light of the candle on the stand flickered slightly.

The nights after Grain Rain were even a few degrees warmer than in the third month.

It was easier to make people drowsy; two or three servants were still standing in the mansion, but sleep had already occupied their reason, and they were dazed, not even noticing that the Prime Minister had returned. Only Zhang Cang was still writing comments on the documents with an extremely focused expression.

Li Si stepped forward and said, "That Mao Heng is cursing me again by the river canal, saying that the old scoundrel Li Si is guilty of unpardonable crimes."

Hearing this, Zhang Cang hurriedly put down his brush and bowed.

The servants around them suddenly perked up and bowed.

Li Si said, "Naturally, I will not lower myself to his level."

Zhang Cang replied, "Back when we were under Xunzi, Mao Heng was already at odds with the Prime Minister; so many years have passed, and it has not changed."

Li Si sat down, looked at the documents that had already been reviewed, and was very satisfied with each scroll, saying, "And Chunyu Yue, he is again talking about how the Prince enslaves his servants, hehe... I have already applied the rules the Prince used for his servants to the construction of the Great Wall; results will be seen within half a year."

Zhang Cang said, "The Prince is young and his actions lack consideration; I will certainly help the Prince with all my heart."

Li Si nodded, pondered for a moment, and said, "His Majesty is going to increase troops to the north again."

When the Prime Minister had finished organizing these Bamboo Slips and it was almost time to go off duty, Zhang Cang handed over the Bamboo Slip he had prepared earlier and bowed, saying, "Prime Minister, this is what I have written."

It should be said that this was a method of selecting and employing officials that he had written after being inspired by the Prince; most of it improved upon the concept of "taking officials as teachers," but without abandoning the core idea of "taking officials as teachers," which gave the Legalist philosophy advocated by either Han Fei or Li Si a somewhat different flavor.

Li Si pressed his hand on this scroll of Bamboo Slip and said, "Have Feng Quji come here."

Half an hour later, Right Prime Minister Feng Quji arrived here in a hurry; not knowing what major event had occurred in the middle of the night, he saw Li Si and Zhang Cang here.

Once he reached them, Li Si handed over the Bamboo Slip and said, "Right Prime Minister, please take a look."

Feng Quji first straightened his lapels and looked at it carefully; as he read, his expression grew increasingly grave, and he paced back and forth, occasionally muttering to himself.

Li Si picked up some dried dates from the side and chewed on them, then shared some with Zhang Cang nearby.

After a long while, Feng Quji closed the Bamboo Slip and said, "What is the Prime Minister's intention?"

Li Si said, "What does the Right Prime Minister think?"

"No!" Feng Quji said, "At least not now. The people from the lands of the Six States are still there, and I fear this will lead to even greater disaster."

Li Si's gaze grew a bit sharper, and he said, "Don't they want to restore the enfeoffment system? This method of selecting officials will precisely and thoroughly sever their thoughts of enfeoffment."

Feng Quji slowly shook his head and said, "Prime Minister, the time is not yet right to use this strategy."

Li Si looked at Zhang Cang nearby, "Then should we have His Majesty look at it?"

Just as Zhang Cang was about to speak, Feng Quji said again, "Even less so. If His Majesty sees this strategy for selecting officials, he will surely push for its implementation, and by then, neither you nor I will be able to stop it."

Li Si put another dried date in his mouth and pondered while chewing.

In the dead of night, it grew increasingly quiet; a gust of wind blew into the mansion, and Zhang Cang continued, "When I return, I will further refine this strategy."

Li Si finally nodded.

Feng Quji also quite agreed.

The three of them finally reached a consensus: this was a sharp sword, but it could not be used lightly; once used, no one knew how great a disaster it might cause, so it had to be implemented step by step at the very least.

Zhang Cang took this scroll of the Classic of History and left the Prime Minister's Mansion.

For some reason, Li Si actually felt a sense of regret; it was like obtaining a precious treasure, yet he could not use it.

After their conversation in the dead of night, the three felt that they had temporarily stabilized the state of Great Qin.

The night was like ink; this night was no different from any other, and the night sky over Xianyang City was as tranquil as it had always been.

Walking on the streets of Xianyang City, Zhang Cang recalled the words Prince had once said: there are never perfect choices in this world, and one must always discard a portion.

The next day, ploughing the fields was a major event in Guanzhong; after the Grain Rain, Guanzhong was incomparably busy, and farming became the top priority for everyone.

Fusu left Xianyang City and headed towards Shangyan Mountain, where he saw the magnificent scene before him.

Zhang Cang rode his horse alongside, also speechless for a long time as he watched this scene.

Every plot of land had people ploughing; families of three or five had some pushing the ploughs and others driving the oxen, as people rushed to plant the grain.

Tian An drove the carriage and said loudly, "Prince, many nearby counties also need to plant more wheat."

Zhang Cang said, "Wheat ripens early; after the summer harvest, we can plant beans again."

The group arrived at Shangyan Mountain and saw Shusun Tong riding a donkey.

A group of children were chasing Shusun Tong to play.

"Stop making trouble, don't pull this old man's beard."

Although Shusun Tong said this, the children still reached out one after another to grab his long beard.

Looking closely, one could indeed see that the old gentleman's beard was indeed much sparser than before.

Afterwards, Shusun Tong was again pulled away by a group of children to play.

Fusu also did not know how this old gentleman could be so happy playing with a group of children.

"As a Doctor, Shusun Tong ignores court affairs and only cares about playing with children here; I don't know what Teacher would think if he knew."

Fusu muttered to himself, then saw Li You, who was digging a well.

Knowing that Li You, as a military Colonel, was only digging soil here, Fusu felt relieved in his heart.

After a trip to Hangu Pass, upon returning, things here were still the same.

General Zhang Han was still overseeing this place.

Many mulberry saplings had been planted on the mountain, and at this moment, Zhang Han said quite earnestly, "Prince, this subordinate has cleared a field on the mountainside and intends to plant it full of celery."

Fusu smiled and said, "Mm, celery is good, and it can be used to make pickled celery; mm... plant more radishes as well."

Zhang Han cupped his hands and said, "This subordinate obeys the order."

After the Grain Rain, every county was beginning to plough, and the soldiers who had gone on campaigns had all returned; Fusu saw a scene of a family of six or seven sitting in the fields eating a meal.

The soil in the fields had just been turned, and the family, having laboured for half a day, sat together.

This family had elderly men, old women, or young adult couples, and two or three children; that was a family.

While eating, they could even greet their neighbours who were also eating in the fields.

After finishing their meal, the family would continue to cultivate the fields.

Just as Fusu was watching the scene before him, a troop of horses broke into his field of vision.

When the troop reached them, Fusu finally saw who it was clearly and smiled, "Greetings, Minister of the Imperial Treasury."

Wang Bi dismounted and smiled as he bowed, "Prince, my father asked me to bring some goods."

Fusu stepped forward and asked, "When will the construction of the West Wei River begin?"

Although he was the Director of Waterways and Zhang Cang was the Minister of the Workshop, when to start building the West Wei Bridge still had to be arranged by the Minister of the Imperial Treasury, one of the Nine Ministers.

Wang Bi said, "After the Spring Ploughing ends, we will start construction during the dry season; the Right Prime Minister will arrange the manpower."

Since the matter involved the Right Prime Minister and was under his overall command, Fusu felt that he could at most say a few words about minor matters; after all, these were major affairs of the state, and as a Prince of Great Qin, he was still young.

The feeling of being treated like a child was very uncomfortable; they almost said, "Prince, leave it, I'll do it!"

It was mostly like that...

Fusu said, "What good goods did your family bring?"

Wang Bi led the people towards the back of the procession, lifted the cloth covering one of the carts, and smiled, "Twenty carts of rhinoceros hide."

Rhinoceros hide was indeed a precious item; it could be made into armour, belts, and even used in medicine, and could even be made into shields.

When the various states still existed, rhinoceros hide was an item that the states would stockpile before the war.

Fusu thought about the south as it was now, where there were likely still herds of rhinoceroses.

During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, rhinoceros hide was counted by the cartload and was an important type of leather.

Fusu looked at these rhinoceros hides and felt somewhat troubled.

Wang Bi noticed the Prince's expression and was also very puzzled.

What troubled Fusu was, what should these rhinoceros hides be used for? Surely not to make leather armor for his own household servants? It was not as if they were going to war.

Great General Wang Jian was currently the wealthiest person in all of Guanzhong, aside from the First Emperor; the old man was quite generous, sending dozens of cartloads of rhinoceros hide in one go.

Fusu was still looking at the cartloads of rhinoceros hide, not knowing how to dispose of them; even sending some grain would have been better, how practical that would have been.

These three thousand household servants lacked nothing, except for grain.

Seeing the Prince remain silent for a long while, Wang Bi also fell silent.

Fusu said, "We are too short on grain; we can't exactly hug these rhinoceros hides and gnaw on them."

It should be said that Guanzhong, and indeed the entire world, was short on grain at this time.

"Junior Treasurer Wang."

"This subject is here." Wang Bi stepped forward respectfully.

"Can these be exchanged for grain?"

"This..." Wang Bi was also in a difficult position; one cart of rhinoceros hide could be exchanged for dozens of carts of grain, but the problem was that even though his family enjoyed a salary of ten thousand shi, they were currently short on grain themselves.

This salary of ten thousand shi would not be received until after this year's summer harvest.

Fusu added, "Rhinoceros hide is also quite good; Shangyan Mountain will accept it."

Wang Bi finally let out a long sigh; at least now he could go back and report to his old father.

(End of chapter)