Chapter 37: The Child Who Is Not Afraid of the Dark

Shusun Tong was in Jingye County; he needed to coordinate and plan. Although he was a Doctor from Qi and Lu who had entered Qin, taking care of one county should be more than enough for him, especially with Zhang Han there to hold down the fort.

If any real trouble were to break out, Zhang Han would truly kill people; it was not as if he hadn't beaten people to death before.

Regarding this, Fusu did not even need to doubt it; if such a situation were to happen again, Zhang Han would definitely kill a few more people.

Shusun Tong was able to manage Jingye County in an orderly fashion; perhaps there were already people outside saying he had made full contributions for Prince Fusu.

Fusu set down the scroll of documents in his hand, drank a mouthful of tea, and then left this place.

Tian An followed at his side, giving instructions to the Attendants behind them as they walked.

After Fusu left Gaoquan Palace, he went all the way to Xianyang City, to the door opposite the residence of Prime Minister Li Si.

Right opposite the residence of Prime Minister Li Si, there was another huge mansion. This mansion looked as if it had no master, and there was no door plaque or gatekeeper to manifest the status of the master's family.

Occasionally, two or three people would come here to walk about, but usually, no one was seen entering this mansion.

Today, people saw a team of guards arrive here in a hurry, and then they pushed the door open and entered, guarding the surroundings; it seemed some important person was about to arrive.

Afterward, people saw a young man; he entered this mansion under the escort of the guards.

The person who walked into this mansion was none other than Fusu.

The former residence of Lv Buwei was like a huge treasure vault to Fusu; there was also a very massive library here.

Today, Fusu had originally intended to take some books away, but outside the main hall of a room, he discovered half a scroll of burnt Bamboo Slip.

Fusu stood suspiciously on the spot, looking at a pile of ashes left behind on the ground after being burned.

Tian An's gaze turned toward the people behind him, and someone hurriedly stepped forward to report: "The Prime Minister came last night; these were all burned by the Prime Minister."

Upon hearing this, Fusu walked forward and picked up the Bamboo Slip on the ground that had not yet finished burning. From the Bamboo Slip that had not been completely destroyed, Fusu saw a name; this name was Sikong Ma.

Fusu picked up the Bamboo Slip that had been half-burned and asked: "Does the Prime Minister come here often?"

"Replying to the Prince, the Prime Minister does not come often. I do not know why, but he suddenly came to this place last night."

Fusu looked at the half-burned scroll of Bamboo Slip, walking toward the library while looking at the name Sikong Ma, as well as some fragmented words and phrases.

Arriving in front of the library room, Fusu pushed the door and walked in.

Tian An had found people to clean this place, so it appeared much cleaner here.

Fusu added: "Find someone to modify the windows here again; make them larger, wider, and let it be brighter in here."

Tian An also felt... this library had a cold and gloomy feeling.

"Have people knock open the windows now."

After receiving the order, several guards left, and then more than ten craftsmen arrived and began to renovate the windows of this library.

With the sound of craftsmen chiseling the walls in his ears, Prince Fusu was able to read so attentively; this level of concentration was truly rare.

Among the rows of bookshelves, Fusu found the name Sikong Ma, and also found the scrolls related to what he had written.

Being able to see some things related to the past, Sikong Ma was originally one of Lv Buwei's retainers, and he was someone who offered strategies for Lv Buwei.

When Lv Buwei fell from power back then, Sikong Ma did not, like Li Si, remain in Qin because of the "Petition Against the Expulsion of Guests."

As a retainer of Lv Buwei, Sikong Ma was expelled from Qin.

Back then, Sikong Ma, like Li Si, was perhaps also at an age full of hot-blooded passion.

But after Lv Buwei fell from power, the fates of these two people were worlds apart.

Li Si was once heavily used in Qin, while Sikong Ma went to Zhao, which was at a time when Zhao and Qin were at war.

Fusu felt that the Bamboo Slip Li Si burned was actually a letter, a letter informing his late friend Sikong Ma. Li Si had been searching for this person, perhaps out of remembrance for the friendship of working together under Lv Buwei back then.

He also saw what Li Si had said in the letter; it was a pity that the ruler of Zhao at the time did not follow Sikong Ma's advice.

Fusu took away a few more scrolls from here, intending to take them back to read.

Before leaving, Fusu came to the place where the burning had occurred earlier, lit a fire, and burned the document that had not been completely consumed.

Most people in the late autumn season wore smiles. During the harvest season, people would bring their respective agricultural products to Xianyang City to exchange for necessary supplies for the winter; most would bring grain to Xianyang City to exchange for winter clothing or more exquisite food.

During the slack farming season, many people also came to Xianyang City; they exchanged their labor for some supplies for the winter.

This was an era that was simple to the point of being somewhat pure and natural.

Seeing the Prince stop his steps, Tian An also stopped in the back, and the group of guards and Attendants behind him all stopped one after another.

Returning to the palace, Fusu personally made a pot of noodles and carried it to Gaoquan Palace.

Tian An watched the Prince walk into the main hall of Gaoquan Palace, and then he stood outside the hall.

The sky was about to turn dark, and Tian An suddenly thought that the Prince had not been to Jingye County for a long time; the Prince had also presided over the construction of Xianyang Bridge.

Tian An continued thinking in his heart, hearing that there were now many merchants and farmers coming and going on Xianyang Bridge; that bridge was very lively every day.

Once Xianyang Bridge was built, it allowed people on the west bank of the Wei River to come to Xianyang, saving them a long walk.

If the Prince went to see the grand occasion and lively scene on Xianyang Bridge, the vendors filling both sides of the bridge, the pedestrians traveling on the bridge, and looked at the smiles on people's faces, the Prince would surely like this kind of scenery the most.

Just like how the Prince liked watching the busy people in Xianyang City, looking at the smiles on people's faces, he would definitely like the people on Xianyang Bridge as well.

Just as he was thinking, the hem of Tian An's own clothes was tugged by someone; looking down, he saw a small figure.

Looking down and seeing it was Prince Gao, Tian An lowered his body with a smile on his face.

"Are the Imperial Brother and the Imperial Father in the main hall?"

Tian An said: "The Prince has just entered the hall."

Prince Gao looked into the hall, and then said: "Gao cannot disturb the Imperial Father and the Imperial Brother in governing the country; Gao will go back to rest first."

Just as he was about to turn and leave, Prince Gao looked back and said: "Do you have to wait here for the Imperial Brother all the time?"

Tian An nodded slowly.

Prince Gao pondered for a moment, and then left.

Tian An felt that this little Prince was becoming more and more sensible.

In the main hall of Gaoquan Palace, Fusu and the Imperial Father finished eating a small pot of noodles.

Seeing his son sitting on the side tidying up the bowls and chopsticks, Ying Zheng asked: "Do you often read documents at the Imperial Censor Office?"

"In reply to Father Emperor, I often read them."

Ying Zheng stopped his writing, still holding the brush in his hand, and said in a low voice, "Li Si said you wanted to review documents; you may also look at the documents I have here and write a few comments on them."

"Thank you, Father Emperor."

Fusu tidied up the bowl and chopsticks, placed them into a basin nearby, and instructed the Attendant at his side, "Give these to Tian An outside."

The Attendant nodded.

Subsequently, Fusu took several scrolls from a box of Bamboo Slips in front of his father and examined them carefully.

The night grew deeper; Ying Zheng did not know how long he had been reading and felt somewhat tired. He raised his eyes to look at Zhangtai Palace in the dark night, cold and pitch-black. The light from the candlesticks and candles still could not illuminate the entire Zhangtai Palace; there were still many dark corners within this great hall.

This made Ying Zheng think of this vast empire today, and he felt quite worried in his heart.

Looking at Fusu again, the child was focused intently on the documents.

Ying Zheng suddenly remembered that this child rarely cried when he was young; this child was born without fear of the dark.

Feeling the exhaustion wash over him, Ying Zheng supported his temple with one hand, closed his eyes, and intended to take a short nap before dealing with the documents before him.

Occasionally, the night wind blew into the hall. Ying Zheng woke up in a daze and discovered a hand warmer placed beside him and a heavy cloak draped over his body.

Outside, the night was thick, and the great hall before him was just as tranquil as before.

Ying Zheng slowly turned his head and saw that the seat beside him was empty; Fusu should have been here, but now he was gone.

"When did Fusu leave?"

"The Prince said he had finished reviewing these documents and left an hour ago."

An Attendant walked over quickly, brought a bowl of hot water, and said, "The Prince said to let Your Majesty drink a mouthful of hot water to ward off the cold upon waking."

The tea in the bowl was still steaming. Ying Zheng took the pottery bowl and looked out at the dark night outside the hall.

The hall remained silent; one could only hear His Majesty's occasionally heavy breathing and the sound of swallowing when he drank the hot water.

Suddenly remembering the documents before him, Ying Zheng set down the bowl and wanted to continue dealing with them, but he saw that the Inkstone was no longer in front of him, but placed on another table.

Only then did Ying Zheng belatedly remember hearing the Attendant beside him say that Fusu had finished reviewing all these documents.

"Your Majesty, the Prince also said to let Your Majesty rest early."

Ying Zheng supported his forehead, feeling a bit dazed after the short nap. He sat for a moment longer before saying in a deep voice, "Bring the documents Fusu reviewed."

Looking carefully at these documents, he could not find a single place that needed correction for a moment; this son had actually reviewed them quite well.

Ying Zheng flipped through several scrolls, picked up the hot water from the side and took another sip, immediately felt energized, and continued reading.

The next day, at Zhangtai Palace, Fusu arrived early as usual, but today he saw Gongzi Gao, who was eating a pancake while sitting on the steps in front of the great hall, with his two naive younger sisters behind him.

"Brother!" Gongzi Gao bowed very politely.

Fusu said, "In the future, you may come to Gaoquan Palace for breakfast."

"Brother makes the food himself, so Gao must learn to do so as well."

Seeing more and more people arriving for the Court Discussion, Gao led his two sisters to leave. As he walked, he said, "Brother! I am going to find Master Shusun Tong to study."

Fusu stood in place and watched the three siblings walk down from Zhangtai Palace, drawing smiles from many old officials along the way.

Seeing his teacher Zhang Cang walk up to him, Fusu turned around and walked into the great hall with Zhang Cang.

Everyone took off their shoes and walked into the hall.

After walking three or five steps inside the hall, Zhang Cang said in a low voice, "Prince, I heard that Zhang Han and the others have planted many beans."

Fusu said, "The wheat was harvested early this year, and many beans were planted this summer. Racing against the season, now that winter is approaching, some beans have indeed been harvested, though beans harvested in winter are not as good as those harvested in summer."

Having said this, Fusu added, "It is better than nothing."

A look of worry appeared on Zhang Cang's face, and he added, "If the Prince's canal continues to be dug, it will reach other villages and counties."

Fusu said, "When it was first conceived, it was intended to be dug through beneath the mountain range of Shangyan Mountain, connecting all the way to the lower reaches of the Luo River, and merging at the junction of the Luo River and the Wei River."

According to the Prince's account, Zhang Cang thought about how it would have to pass through a county along the way; that county was called Linjin Xian, which was also a county of the Old Qin People. Since the Qin established this county, it had been over two hundred years.

Fusu said, "I will have Shusun Tong arrange these matters."

Zhang Cang nodded slightly and said, "Persuading a county is not easy."

Following a loud shout from the Attendant, today's Court Discussion began, and Fusu hurried back to his position to bow along with the assembled officials.

During the Court Discussion, everyone reported on the day's political affairs one after another, especially Prime Minister Li Si, who was speaking endlessly about the situation in the north.

During this time, Chunyu Yue asked again when the Doctors who went to the north would be able to return.

Li Si said, "People like Zhou Qingchen are living very well in the north."

"Living very well while bordering the Xiongnu?" Chunyu Yue lowered his voice, almost using a rhetorical tone, especially when he saw Li Si's smiling face, wanting to go up and tear that smile apart.

As Chunyu Yue thought this in his heart, he discovered that the smile on Li Si's face grew even wider.

Li Si added, "Do you all also wish to go to the north to see?"

The Prime Minister's words were pointed; the Qilu Doctors all stood straight, then looked at their noses and hearts, and no one answered, behaving as honestly as could be.

Chunyu Yue even looked back in surprise at the Qilu Doctors who were on the same side as him, yet not a single one stood out.

The disputes at the Court Discussion continued. Fusu was still thinking about the words of his teacher Zhang Cang. His teacher's face was always very calm, yet within that calmness was a hint of worry; he wanted to say something but did not know how to express it, as if he already had a draft in his heart but chose not to speak.

After the Court Discussion ended, Fusu was about to leave.

"Prince, please stay."

Hearing these words, Fusu looked at the Attendant who had called him.

The Attendant added, "Prime Minister, please stay as well."

Li Si stopped, adjusted his lapels, and said with a face full of smiles, "Is it His Majesty summoning us?"

This Attendant was as old as Tian An, but much shorter. He chuckled and said, "His Majesty summons you. Prince, Prime Minister, please this way."

Li Si followed the Attendant's footsteps, took a tangerine from his sleeve, and handed it over, saying, "Prince, this was brought from Shu by Li You's people."

Fusu took the bright yellow little tangerine and asked, "Is Li You doing well in Shu?"

Li Si ate a tangerine while putting the peel into his wide sleeve, and replied, "This kid is training troops in Shu. His location is close to the Hundred Yue; I heard that in spring and summer there are lychees to eat, endless melons and fruits, and even now as winter approaches there are still endless tangerines to pick; there is no need to worry about military provisions at all..."

Fusu held a tangerine in his hand, a smile on his face.

"And furthermore, there are rhinoceroses there, herds upon herds of rhinoceroses..."

Walking along while listening to Prime Minister Li Si, Fusu felt that the Prime Minister's way of speaking was truly like coaxing a small child, and Fusu could only respond with a smile.

Walking up to a palace hall, they heard the voice of the Imperial Father.

"This child Fusu has not been afraid of the dark since he was small."

(End of this chapter)