Chapter 357: The Five-Year Plan

At the name "Heifu," Xiang Zhuang stopped eating his candy and pricked up his ears.

Two years earlier at the Battle of Qinan, the Chu people said either that Xiang Yan had died in battle or that he had gone into hiding, but the Xiang family knew the truth: after the defeat Xiang Yan took his own life, and he had a clansman, Xiang Sheng, flee the battlefield carrying his head and bring it back to Xiaxiang…

Though Xiang Yan's head was secretly buried by the Xiang family, his body remained on the battlefield, where it was humiliated by the Qin soldiers and hacked into countless pieces. And the merit of seizing his flag—a deed comparable to slaying a general—was claimed by a nameless nobody called Heifu.

No one expected that he would use this to rise in the world, and that he would now hold the high rank of Right Chief of the Masses!

Strictly speaking, this man was one of the Xiang clan's enemies. Realizing that the candy had been made by that scoundrel, Xiang Zhuang instantly found it unbearably foul, as if he had eaten something filthy, and turned his head to secretly spit it out.

Xiang Liang, however, merely showed a slight change of expression before immediately returning to normal, chatting and laughing with Lady Wei as before.

After the Battle of Qinan, once he had laid his father's head to rest, he said to the clansmen clamoring at home for a fight to the death against Qin: "When Goujian was trapped at Kuaiji, had he fought for a moment's glory and led all five thousand men into battle against Wu, Yue would likely have perished then and there. Now Qin is ascendant and Chu is on the verge of destruction—the tide has turned and cannot be forced. We must emulate the strategy of Fan Li and Wen Zhong: spend ten years building up the population and ten years teaching and training, and wait for another day to take revenge!"

When the entire family was forced to relocate to Guanzhong, he likewise comforted his brothers: "Tang was imprisoned at Xiatai, King Wen was held at Youli, Chong'er of Jin fled to Di, Xiaobai of Qi fled to Ju, Goujian entered Gusu—in the end, each became a hegemon. Seen in this light, how can one be sure this is not a blessing in disguise?"

Their Xiang clan was no King Huai of Chu!

Xiang Liang, who had already resolved to sleep on brushwood and taste gall, could play the obedient subject even if his true enemies, Qin Shi Huang and Wang Jian, stood right before him—so how could he lose his temper over Heifu?

Lady Wei, too, had wanted to probe whether the Xiang clan harbored disloyal thoughts, and had deliberately brought up Heifu, who had seized Xiang Yan's flag. Observing Xiang Liang's expression and seeing that he remained entirely composed, she set her mind at ease.

Having accepted Xiang Liang's gold, she now turned to the matter the Xiang clan cared about most.

"I have already had someone make inquiries. The transfer order from the Censorate has been issued: Cao Jiu, the prison clerk of Yunyang County, will be reassigned to Xiaxiang County in Sishui Commandery as Prison Aide."

The Prison Aide oversaw litigation, punishment, and prisons—an office second only to the Chief Clerk among the county bureau heads. If the man proved to be stern and inflexible, the clansmen left behind in Xiaxiang would not have an easy time.

Lady Wei said, "Cao Jiu is an easy man to talk to, and he has connections at court as well. The newly promoted Censor Cheng Miao received his kindness while imprisoned in Yunyang. Cultivate this relationship well, and it may prove useful in the future."

Xiang Liang breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Quite a few officials have been dispatched this year to take up posts east of the mountains."

Lady Wei drank a mouthful of hot broth. "The court is sending new officials to the commanderies and counties east of the mountains in a steady stream for no other reason than to carry out His Majesty's state policy."

This was another major move by the court, following last year's collection of all weapons under heaven and the demolition of river defenses and passes.

When the black-robed Qin officials emerged from Hangu Pass, their carts were loaded with standardized weights and measures. The moment they assumed office, they immediately began implementing the work of uniform axle widths, uniform script, uniform coinage, uniform coin shapes, uniform length measures, uniform weight standards, uniform conduct, and unified laws and regulations, abolishing the old systems of the six states and aligning everything with Xianyang.

These measures dealt no small blow to local magnates like the Xiang clan. Unlike the loose laws of the six states, Qin law was harsh and severe; the Xiang clan would inevitably have to rein themselves in considerably. They could no longer maintain private troops, and the amount of land, bondservants, and retainers they held would also be restricted.

Coin minting had been a major source of income for the Xiang clan. Once coinage and coin shapes were standardized and private minting was forbidden, they would lose a large sum of income every year. Uniform length measures and uniform weight standards also meant they could no longer play the favor-currying trick of "lending out with a large cauldron and taking back with a small cauldron" using their own private measuring vessels.

They were proud aristocrats, each family with a history of several hundred years, their storehouses holding classical texts passed down through the generations. Once the script was unified under the Qin seal script, the scripts of the six states could only be taught to their children in secret.

These institutions would bring many hardships to the Xiang clan and the powerful families east of the mountains. Xiang Liang could only sigh and lament that it would have been better if Qin had enfeoffed states in Yan, Qi, and Chu.

He had heard that all of Qin Shi Huang's sons were still young; young feudal lords would surely have relied on local powers and governed according to local customs. They would not be like the Qin officials appointed by Xianyang, who answered only to the emperor, shouted for the heads of local magnates, crushed them until they could barely breathe, treated Qin law as iron statutes, and forcibly corrected the customs and habits of the people of the six states…

But these were all grievances they dared to feel but not voice, and they could only steel themselves and accept it. Over the past two years, Xiang Liang had already learned to read Qin seal script. He knew that under absolute power, if noble houses did not change, there was only one path left to them: extinction!

Lady Wei consoled him: "These state policies are overseen jointly by the Chancellor's Office, the Censorate, and the Privy Treasurer, but the implementation deadlines differ. The laws and ordinances are already being enforced in the commanderies and counties. Weights, measures, and axle widths must all be replaced within this year—the twenty-seventh year of Qin Shi Huang—while the unification of script can proceed somewhat more slowly."

She brought up an amusing matter: "Last month, after Heifu produced bark paper, His Majesty was overjoyed and established paper-making workshops throughout Guanzhong. Paper is being manufactured and sent east of the mountains, with orders that all commanderies and counties, while unifying the script, must also try out hemp paper and bark paper alongside bamboo and wooden slips. But silk manuscripts may no longer be used—violators will be fined one bolt of silk!"

Xiang Liang could well imagine that the Chu people would complain endlessly, for the Chu nobility loved using silk for writing and painting above all else, whether as decoration or to be placed in tombs—it had become a tradition. His own family possessed many silk manuscripts, including the *Strategists' Writings*, the *Laozi*, and *The Way of Tang and Yu*. If these were abruptly banned, the Chu people would certainly not be pleased.

Fortunately, on this matter, considering that the scholars of the six states could not learn the Qin script overnight, Heifu had put forward a suggestion to the emperor.

"The scripts of the six states have long differed in form. To abolish them abruptly would likely cause great inconvenience. It would be better to set a five-year deadline and let the scripts of the six states and silk manuscripts be gradually phased out, replaced by Qin seal script, clerical script, and paper!"

He also said: "Qin has its own institutions. The commanderies and counties compile accounting records and dispatch officials to report up through each level, presenting them to the court as a basis for evaluating performance—this is called the 'Annual Report.' Now, Your Majesty, with great foresight, promotes hemp paper and unified script, planning long-term benefits for all under heaven. This five-year phasing-out policy might well be called the 'Five-Year Plan'!"

Unfortunately, Qin Shi Huang was impatient in his governance and thought five years too long, so he changed it to three years. Thus the "Three-Year Plan" was promulgated: within three years, three million sheets of paper were to be produced, silk manuscripts were to be completely replaced, and bamboo slips were to be gradually eliminated!

To be able to persuade the emperor to slightly modify state policy was a remarkable achievement. The Right Chief of the Masses, Heifu, had clearly become a new favorite whom the emperor had come to trust in recent days. Those who paid attention to court affairs were one after another comparing him to Li Xin, the most favored official of that year…

At this point, Lady Wei had told Xiang Liang everything that a catty of gold could buy.

As Xiang Liang was taking Xiang Zhuang and preparing to take his leave, Lady Wei seemed to recall another matter and said to Xiang Liang, as if showing off:

"Ah, I nearly forgot one thing. The Right Chief of the Masses, Heifu, is to be married in the twelfth month. He has prepared these invitations and invited guests far and wide. My maternal uncle, Wei Zhuang, is also among those invited, but he is advanced in years, so he has asked me and my eldest cousin and his wife to go in his stead…"

She was very willing to go and curry favor with this new favorite, but she was also loath to spend more money, and her phoenix eyes kept hinting at Xiang Liang.

Xiang Liang understood. He cupped his hands knowingly and said, "The world often thinks that because the Right Chief of the Masses seized my late father's flag, the Xiang clan hates him. But in truth, we are mere commoners of Jing-Chu, the remnants of a fallen state—how dare we bear any grudge? Now that the Right Chief is to marry, Liang's status is too low to presume to set foot at the banquet. I hope that you, madam, might convey the Xiang clan's congratulations on our behalf, as a gesture of deference and submission. The gifts will be prepared by tomorrow and delivered to your residence!"

…

On the first day of the first month—the first day of the tenth month—of the twenty-seventh year of Qin Shi Huang, in Huyou Village, Yangwu County, Dang Commandery, Chen Ping, a temporary worker serving as a petty clerk on a meager salary at the village temple, received from the postman, under the envious gazes of his colleagues, a brightly red paper invitation sent from Xianyang…

PS: Recommending a new xianxia novel by a friend, *Proud Wanderer in the World of Mount Shu*:

A modern archaeology scholar accidentally transmigrates into the world of Mount Shu and becomes an Emei Daoist boy who never received the true teachings.

Clashes between righteous and evil, three sword duels, the kalpa of Dharma's end—fight for that one sliver of hope!

Rise through the cracks, reverse the mandate of heaven, and raise up a clear sky once more for Chinese civilization! Dominate gods and demons, and forge an undying, eternal legend!

Those interested can take a look.

(End of chapter)