Chapter 549: Nothing Is Better Than Cultivating People

Heifu knew his wife was clever. Ever since he had gone to attend the Feng and Shan sacrifices in the imperial retinue, he had been bustling about restlessly, stirring up trouble everywhere. Although she had stayed in the Jimo mansion and rarely went out, she was perfectly aware of it all. When he returned last night, Ye Zijin had seemed to want to speak but held back — she definitely had something on her mind.

So Heifu had his nephew Wei Yang take Polu out to play, then walked over to his wife's side, kissed her hairline, and asked, "What is it you wish to tell me?"

"The man governs outside, the woman governs within. There are some matters this concubine should not presume to ask about."

Ye Zijin lifted her head and said to Heifu, "But if I do not speak, my heart will remain uneasy."

"Husband and wife are one body. Speak."

Ye Zijin lowered her head and said, "Recently I have heard that my good husband, in Linzi and Jiaodong, remonstrated against the burning of books and halted the quest for immortality. Not only has he completely parted ways with Chancellor Li, he has also made enemies of the fangshi and magicians. Ever since I learned of these matters, my worry has kept me sleepless at night and robbed my food of its flavor. As the common proverb says, 'The tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind.' Now my good husband, not yet thirty, is already a high border official, conspicuous enough already. I had thought that by leaving the capital and coming to Jiaodong, you could sheathe your edge and avoid the limelight. Who would have expected…"

She had the feeling that Heifu had been acting very rashly lately — one matter not yet finished, and he would already be meddling in another. As a result, he was making more and more enemies. Earlier he had a rift with Zhao Gao, now he had fallen out with the various Tian clans, and he had also thoroughly offended Chancellor Li Si and the fangshi who surrounded the Emperor.

The steady and composed Heifu of Nan Commandery and Beidi had changed. He was like a traveler staring at the time, desperately hurrying on his way, battling things that Ye Zijin could not see…

Out of concern, Ye Zijin told a story: "Once, Zeng Shen lived in Fei Town. In Lu, there was a man with the same surname and given name as Zeng Shen who killed someone. Someone told Zeng Shen's mother, 'Zeng Shen has killed a man.' The mother was weaving at the time and remained perfectly calm, saying, 'My son does not kill people.' A moment later, another person came and told her, 'Zeng Shen has killed a man.' The mother still kept weaving, but began to glance out the window. After a while, yet another person came and told her, 'Zeng Shen has killed a man.' The mother grew afraid, threw down her shuttle, leaped over the wall, and fled."

"With Zeng Shen's worthiness and virtue, and with his mother's deep and unwavering faith in him, when three people cast doubt, it still made his mother truly believe he had killed someone. Now my good husband's blunt honesty and loyal earnestness likely fall short of Zeng Shen's. And though His Majesty trusts you, it certainly does not exceed the trust Zeng Shen's mother had for Zeng Shen. If those at court who speak ill of my good husband number more than three, I fear that His Majesty, like Zeng Shen's mother throwing down her shuttle, may come to doubt my good husband's loyalty…"

"It is precisely because of this that this concubine finds no flavor in food, no sleep at night, and feels unease for the child in my womb."

"It won't come to that."

Heifu, however, shook his head and said, "Though I am out here, given His Majesty's temperament, he does not employ those he doubts, and does not doubt those he employs. Every year he tours the empire and has seen with his own eyes the achievements in Jiaodong. These things will not be undone by the slander of a few men. Moreover, I attribute achievements to those above and take faults upon myself. His Majesty is extremely satisfied — far from doubting me, he will wish for me to do even more…"

At most, it would just mean transferring Ren Xiao, the Commandant of Kuaiji Commandery, to Jiaodong, using this seasoned and capable Tower Ship General to take over the military authority that Heifu had once monopolized. That was all…

As long as he had no troops in hand, no matter how assertive Heifu was, he would still only be an externally appointed commandery governor parachuted in from elsewhere.

One must not think that Qin Shi Huang's conduct was merely grand and bold. In truth, he was exceedingly adept in the art of balance, and played the game of 'conflicting opinions stirring each other' with masterful skill.

At court, Wang Wan had lost power after being implicated by the Confucian scholars, and Li Si's influence dominated the court and the provinces. The Emperor then propped up Ye Teng to counterbalance him. Although Ye Teng lacked a deep foundation, he had Heifu as his excellent son-in-law. The configuration of two factions, one at court and one in the provinces, stirring each other with conflicting opinions, had already taken shape.

But the moment Ye and Heifu grew slightly too strong, Qin Shi Huang's suppressing hand would likely descend again. Did anyone truly think that 'If the sea bandits are not eradicated within one year, the Governor of Jiaodong Commandery will be replaced' was something Qin Shi Huang said casually because he had been deceived by the fangshi? When that time came, directly ordering Heifu back to Xianyang, honoring his rank but assigning him a nominal post and an idle sinecure, leaving him idle for ten years — that was not impossible.

But Heifu could no longer concern himself with so much. He knew that once Ren Xiao took office, it would be absolutely impossible for him to keep control of Jiaodong's military authority. However, his arrangements within the commandery were already sufficient. What came next required him to once again take in the whole empire and the court with his gaze, and look toward the future.

So Heifu took his wife's hand and said to her, "A year ago, when I first arrived, I once used black and white Go stones as pieces, placing them on the board, pondering: in Jiaodong, among the old clans, the various Tian, the scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants — who were my enemies, who were my friends? Once black and white were clearly distinguished, those to be won over were won over, those to be suppressed were suppressed, those to remain neutral were left neutral, and those to be purged were purged…"

"Now, borrowing the authority of His Majesty's eastern tour, the people of the commandery all submit. Even the various Tian clans face imminent catastrophe. His Majesty has already decided that when he departs Jiaodong, he will uproot the various Tian entirely and relocate them elsewhere. In this way, all within Jiaodong will be my friends, and my enemies will be reduced to only the bandits and the anti-Qin fighters overseas."

Ye Zijin nodded and praised him, "My good husband is truly a born politician — pulling in one faction to strike at another. In a mere moment, the enemy bandits have been reduced to the state of clay chickens and pottery dogs."

Heifu smiled. "So, having made too many enemies at court and in the provinces — how could I not know it? Therefore, even if only for self-preservation, my friends must also grow more and more numerous!"

With the great mountain of Qin Shi Huang pressing down from above, to think of cleanly and decisively eliminating enemies as he had in Jiaodong was a fool's dream. The Emperor permitted conflicting opinions to stir each other, but he would absolutely never permit the balance to be broken!

Heifu could not physically annihilate his enemies; he could only draw in more powerful backing and gain some friends.

But which friends he could befriend, and from which friends he must keep his distance — he had to have a clear sense of that in his heart.

Between Heifu and Li Xin, even though they had served together, not a single letter could be exchanged.

With the Wang clan, he had the old bond of Wang Jian acting as matchmaker, and Wang Ben was still his former superior. But before Qin Shi Huang, Heifu and Wang Ben had to act like complete strangers.

The same went for the Meng Tian brothers. Colluding was impossible; it was best to have some minor surface-level friction.

As for Prince Fusu… those waters were far too deep, and even more untouchable — at least, not for now.

In short, Heifu and any general who held military authority, or any veteran commander with prestige in the army, absolutely could not become friends!

His friends could only be minor figures who, for now, seemed of little use — dispensable and insignificant.

For example, learned scholars like Zhang Cang, the Mohists who had dwindled to fewer than ten members, or the Agriculturalists who cared about nothing but farming.

These past few months, Heifu had seemed to be bustling about restlessly, wanting to meddle in everything. But in reality, whether forming bonds or making enemies, everything was as meticulous and careful as a surgical operation — because one misstep might touch Qin Shi Huang's reverse scale!

The more Ye Zijin listened, the more astonished she became. Heifu's political wisdom had already reached a level that made her marvel.

"My good husband is even more sinister and calculating than my father!"

Heifu, unaware of his wife's muttered commentary, continued. His political stance with Li Si was already destined to be at odds. Li Si had launched a desperate counterattack, seizing the task of compiling the books, embedding destruction within compilation. The learning of the Hundred Schools was about to be extinguished. Knowing Li Si's nature, he would likely take the opportunity to strike at Heifu's potential friends as well.

Therefore, in order to protect them, Heifu proposed establishing a new School of Industry and Agriculture within official education, based on the Qin Mohists and the Agriculturalists, dedicated to studying the techniques of industry and farming, so that advanced tools and agricultural skills could spread throughout the empire.

Because printing and the cabbage-and-tofu dish had left a deep impression on Qin Shi Huang, and seeing that Heifu had reason and evidence, the Emperor readily agreed.

What Heifu valued was not merely the knowledge of these two schools. He wanted the knowledge of the Mohists and Agriculturalists to be put to practical use, and to spread correct values.

It was also because, given time, the industrial and agricultural officials thus cultivated would have their values indirectly shaped by Heifu. Politically, they would also be Heifu's natural partners. These grassroots minor officials, spread throughout the empire, though lacking significant real power, would nonetheless hold pivotal importance.

This was the meaning of 'Unite the workers and peasants' that Heifu had written on that blackboard when he was drunk.

Heifu spoke with earnest gravity: "For a plan of one year, nothing is better than planting grain; for a plan of ten years, nothing is better than planting trees; for a lifelong plan, nothing is better than cultivating people… What I am planning is precisely a lifelong plan."

This was indeed the work of a lifetime. Heifu was like an old farmer domesticating grains and trees, selecting good seeds, carefully propping up the early-ripening seedlings, loosening the soil and fertilizing them, and then awaiting, under the influence of nature's work, the golden autumn of a bountiful harvest…

He could not pull up the seedlings to help them grow — that would only backfire. Nor could he sit by and do nothing, letting the wild boars from the mountain forests come and root up the young shoots, or letting a wildfire burn the farmland to barren white ground. In short, tending this small plot of land well was truly no easy task.

"This concubine understands!"

Ye Zijin's eyes sparkled. Since Heifu had far-sighted plans, she was no longer very worried. "This concubine only wishes to know one more thing."

This final question — Ye Zijin hesitated again and again, and finally asked with solemnity, "What exactly is my good husband's lifelong plan?"

Heifu was taken aback. Fortunately, Ye Zijin's next line was:

"That position of Chancellor, second only to one man and above ten thousand — my father has yearned for it his entire life. Does my good husband also wish to contend for it in the future?"

…

PS: Traveling, so still just two short updates.

PS: Friendly recommendation for the book *The Great Physician of Ming Dynasty*.

A young man who graduated from medical school accidentally transmigrates to the Ming Dynasty and is inexplicably seized by a declining family to be their son-in-law.

Fortunately, he brought a pharmaceutical warehouse and a medical equipment warehouse with him, plus a computer that can connect to the internet. From then on, he cures difficult and complicated illnesses, amasses a vast fortune, and walks the path to the pinnacle of life.

What? You still want me to take the imperial examinations? As a science-track dog, isn't that a bit too much to ask? Still, I can give it a try.

The Emperor likes alchemy? How about I just give you a Viagra?

Emperor: As a renowned physician of this generation, my beloved minister, your medical skill is exquisite, your healing touch works wonders, and you can cure a hundred ailments. But I wonder, can you assist me in governing the realm?

Uh, well, about that… help me up, let me give it a try.

(End of chapter)