Chapter 347: The Feet of the Qilin

"Even his own sons and trusted ministers taking turns to remonstrate could not sway the Emperor's mind. Fortunately, I did not get too deeply involved."

On the road from Xianyang to the Forest Light Palace in the Sweet Springs Hills, recalling the events that had taken place in Xianyang Palace the day before, Heifu could not help but shake his head to himself.

The First Emperor's decision to build vast palaces and parks throughout the Pass, creating a "Heavenly Kingdom on Earth," was unshakable. Not only had You Zhan fallen out of favor, but even Prince Fusu was affected. The sole result of Fusu's remonstration was that in mid-June, when the First Emperor went to Forest Light Palace to escape the summer heat, he took all his other sons with him, yet pointedly did not bring his eldest.

The First Emperor was a prolific father; all told, he had over twenty sons, ranging in age from the eldest, Prince Fusu, at eighteen, to the youngest, Prince Huhai, at nine. By the standard of "capping at twenty," none of the First Emperor's sons had yet reached adulthood. Moreover, the Emperor was a man rather indifferent to familial bonds, so even though they were not far apart, he rarely granted them audiences.

Thus, Heifu had no opportunity to observe them up close, and only possessed a superficial understanding gleaned through various channels.

Among them, the ones he was most concerned about were none other than Fusu and Huhai.

One was a virtuous prince whose legacy would be an eternal regret, the other the Second Emperor who would drag the Qin dynasty into the abyss—anyone would be curious.

Fusu's outspoken remonstration that day reminded Heifu of a poem he had heard Zhang Cang recite.

"The feet of the Qilin, the noble prince, ah, the Qilin!

The forehead of the Qilin, the noble kinsmen, ah, the Qilin!

The horn of the Qilin, the noble clan, ah, the Qilin!"

Just like the poem, Fusu's impression on Heifu was that of a benevolent beast, a Qilin that "does not trample living grass nor step on living insects." It strolls leisurely through green fields and emerald woods, then suddenly seems to shift and flow, transforming into an elegant prince. A prince like a Qilin, noble and humane; a prince like jade, seemingly untouched by a speck of dust. This was Fusu's reputation among the common folk of Xianyang.

But in contrast, the assembled ministers at court did not think highly of Fusu.

One reason was that Fusu's mother was a princess of Chu, and his maternal uncle was Lord Changping, who had rebelled against Qin. Since then, the number of times the Emperor summoned Fusu had rapidly dwindled. And Fusu, being deeply concerned for the state and its people, would say things the First Emperor did not wish to hear at every audience, thus falling further and further out of favor.

The day before, after Fusu had finished remonstrating about the palaces in Xianyang Palace, the First Emperor even rebuked him on the spot: "Read less Confucianism and Mohism, and study the laws and ordinances more."

The First Emperor's words were laden with meaning. As a result, Fusu was becoming less and less likable.

Heifu thought to himself, "According to clan law, Qin follows a system of succession by the eldest son of the primary wife. But the First Emperor never established a queen when he was king, nor an empress after taking the imperial title. With no son of the primary wife, a crown prince must be chosen from over twenty sons of concubines, and the eldest, Fusu, still has priority..."

Yet now, the Emperor considered himself to be in the prime of life and showed no intention of appointing an heir. Within and outside the court, no one dared to advise him to "establish a crown prince early." Everyone was guessing that His Majesty might want to wait until all his sons came of age and then choose the most worthy.

"Or perhaps he thinks he has a chance at immortality and sees no need to establish a crown prince?" Heifu had recently noticed that magicians and alchemists from Qi and Yan often received imperial audiences, and their discussions were mostly about spirits and ghosts rather than the common people's welfare...

A state without a crown prince was a major hidden danger for the Qin dynasty, but it was not something Heifu, a mere Chief of the Gentlemen, could interfere with.

Turning back on his war chariot, he could see in the distance the First Emperor's grand carriage, harnessed to six horses, with several identical auxiliary carriages before and behind it. If one wanted to tell which carriage the Emperor was in, one method was to look for the position of the Prefect of the Office of the Imperial Chariots, Zhao Gao; the second was to carefully discern which carriage the sound of a child's laughter was coming from...

This summer retreat to Sweet Springs Mountain would last from June until August or September. After the autumn harvest was completed in September, there would be an "autumn military drill and hunt" activity, which would not only allow for a review of troops and a show of might but also let the princes learn military affairs through hunting. Aside from Prince Fusu, who had defied the First Emperor and was deliberately left in Xianyang to "study the laws," all the other twenty-odd princes were traveling together.

But among them, the only one the First Emperor had brought onto his own carriage to ride with him was Prince Huhai.

When they were passing the Zhengguo Canal, as the sky was growing dark, the plan was to rest for the night at a traveling palace by the canal. When Heifu went to the imperial carriage to report, Zhao Gao greeted him with a smile and lifted the curtain, revealing a surprising scene:

The First Emperor, who could never put aside his work at any moment, was now, like an ordinary father, playing a game of Liubo with his son...

Huhai was only nine years old, as delicately beautiful as a carved jade figurine, his hair tied up in a child's topknot. He had been seriously studying the game board, but when he noticed the carriage had stopped and saw the Chief of the Palace Gentlemen, Heifu, kneeling outside, a mischievous smile flickered across his face. Suddenly, he said loudly:

"Prefect of the Office of the Imperial Chariots, why has the sky gone dark?"

Zhao Gao replied, "Prince, the sun has not yet set outside. Why do you say that?"

"If it's not dark, why can't I see the game board clearly?"

He made a show of groping around in the darkness, then turned his head, pretending to have just noticed Heifu. Clapping his hands, he laughed, "Father Emperor, Father Emperor, so it's Heifu who has arrived! No wonder everything went black before my eyes!"

At these words, Zhao Gao shook his head with a laugh, and even the usually stern First Emperor was amused into laughter. Seeing that he had successfully amused his father, Huhai grew even more smug, and the carriage was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

Only Heifu cursed inwardly, "A dead brat who thinks he's so clever..."

His first impression of Huhai was not good. Although he acted innocent and adorable in front of the First Emperor, in Heifu's eyes, he was nothing more than a spoiled brat who only knew how to play and cause a ruckus—exactly at that age when even dogs find them annoying. Relying on the Emperor's favor, he liked to make fun of the close ministers, having joked about You Zhan's short legs and subtly mocked Kui Zhuang's old age. After meeting Heifu the day before, he had even dared to make jokes about his dark face.

Doting on the youngest child is a common failing of parents. It was said that the First Emperor's favorite woman was Huhai's mother, and after her early death, that affection was transferred to Huhai. They rode in the same carriage when traveling and ate from the same table at meals. As much as Fusu was neglected, Huhai was cherished.

"Truly... a difference like heaven and earth."

Although mocked by Huhai, Heifu's expression did not change. He actually smiled and said, "Your Majesty, Prince, do not look at your servant's face being black; my heart, however, is red!"

Huhai was even more delighted and burst into belly-shaking laughter. The Prefect of the Office of the Imperial Chariots, Zhao Gao, said with a mirthless smile, "The Chief of the Palace Gentlemen's mouth is truly as sweet as brown sugar."

Huhai glanced at Zhao Gao. "Sweeter than yours?"

Zhao Gao cupped his hands. "This old servant is not his equal, not his equal."

Heifu hurriedly said, "How dare this humble official compare himself to the Prefect of the Office of the Imperial Chariots."

By this time, Huhai was no longer playing Liubo. He tugged at the First Emperor's hand and said, "Father Emperor, I've heard that the Chief of the Palace Gentlemen was the first to play soldier-ball. When will you have him lead the Gentlemen guards and play a match for me to watch?"

Soldier-ball was a game Heifu had invented by adapting rugby during those months he spent guarding behind the ramparts in the Chu campaign. Two years had passed, and it had already spread into the Pass. The Qin people did not care for the juggling-style individual kickball of Qi and Chu, but they were obsessed with this collision of speed and passion among strong men. Soldier-ball thus became a common game played by Qin soldiers in the Pass.

Huhai was also obsessed with it. What he loved most was watching soldiers wearing heavy armor crash into each other for that little leather ball, falling and getting their faces covered in mud. If someone happened to break an arm or a leg during the match, so much the better!

Heifu cupped his hands. "If Your Majesty and the Prince wish to watch, Heifu will certainly don armor and take the field himself."

When dealing with a brat from the boss's family, you can't hit him or scold him. Since he likes to play, Heifu happened to have many little games that could cater to his interests...

The First Emperor, however, patted his son's head and said, "Nonsense. My Gentlemen officials, who serve as guards within and govern a hundred li when sent out, are they meant for games? The traveling palace is here. Go down and have your meal."

Huhai pouted, and only when Zhao Gao told him there was fresh leopard fetus to eat today did a smile return to his face.

The First Emperor had Zhao Gao take Prince Huhai out, then added:

"I have not come to this canal for a long time. Tomorrow, I shall inspect along the waterway and see how effective the Inner Prefecture's methods of composting and fermenting fertilizer have been this year."

The First Emperor stepped out of the carriage and looked at the clear canal beside the traveling palace, which branched off from the Jing River, flowed slowly eastward, and ultimately emptied into the Luo River.

Its creation could irrigate three hundred li of saline-alkaline land between the Jing and Luo Rivers, watering over forty thousand qing of fields, turning the Pass into fertile land. In the ten years since the canal was completed, there had been no more years of famine. Qin had thus become rich and powerful. The First Emperor's ability to unify the feudal lords, with a constant supply of provisions for his great army, owed no small debt to the Zhengguo Canal.

But then, the Emperor's gaze turned to the north, as if the Zhengguo Canal before him had reminded him of another matter.

He asked Heifu, "Who is on duty for the imperial escort tomorrow?"

Heifu said, "It is the Chief of the Chariot Gentlemen, Wang Li's turn."

"In that case, you will be free. Then go make a trip to Yunyang County."

Yunyang County was a place a day's journey north of the Zhengguo Canal, not far from the Forest Light Palace in the Sweet Springs Hills. Heifu immediately pricked up his ears, wondering what task the Emperor had for him.

Stroking his beard, the First Emperor said slowly, "Go to Yunyang Prison for me and see if Cheng Mao is still alive."

PS: Two chapters tonight.

(End of chapter)