Ying Fusu

"I have heard that the concerns of the people under heaven are different for each of them."

"The concern of scholars is for the sake of the world; the concern of merchants is for profit."

"A craftsman's concern is whether his skills have produced useful tools."

"And what are the farmers' concerns?"

On the imperial couch, Fusu was filled with grief, and his tone carried an unprecedented melancholy.

"What is the Imperial Physician's opinion?"

"Don't these farmers put all their energy into spring planting and autumn harvesting, into figuring out what to eat to fill their stomachs and what to wear to keep their bodies warm?"

"Are they all mourning their lost homeland, willing to risk their lives to restore it?"

...

"If that's truly your opinion, then I must say something to the Imperial Physician."

"—The Imperial Physician has been standing in the high halls of power for far too long."

"It has been so long that we have forgotten what the common people of the world really care about."

These words left Meng Yi completely speechless.

Fusu turned his head slightly and looked at Meng Yi, the teacher of the East and West Heads.

First, he cupped his hands in a gesture of apology: "I'm sorry, I was a bit harsh in my comments about your brother."

But instead of speaking, he asked, "Teacher, do you still remember that child who was sent to the Great Wall last year?"

With just one word, Meng Tian fell silent and lowered his head;

This also caused the officials in the hall to cast puzzled glances at the imperial bed.

Then Fusu smiled bitterly and sighed softly, "Last spring, Anyang County in Handan Prefecture sent a group of 'convicts' to the Great Wall."

"One of his sons was named Heifu."

"—Only thirteen years old."

"I found this very strange, so I went to check the household records of this boy."

"Gentlemen, do you know what crime this man committed to warrant his imprisonment?"

...

"defamation."

"It was a few years ago that the First Emperor, following the advice of his Left Chancellor Li Si, established the new crime of 'slander'."

"And who has this child slandered?"

As he spoke, Fusu laughed twice, seemingly mocking himself, yet also appearing to be sarcastic.

Then he let out a long sigh and said, "The First Emperor."

"The records of this child are clear: This child once spoke slanderously against the First Emperor—saying that the First Emperor was 'tyrannical and wicked,' causing unrest throughout the land."

...

"Gentlemen, don't you find this ridiculous?"

"The most prestigious and powerful official I have ever seen in my life is merely the village magistrate."

"A farmer who's met the county magistrate but doesn't even know his name actually knows about the First Emperor!"

"They even dared to slander the First Emperor!!"

"And what a coincidence—he was caught red-handed by the local county government when he spoke slanderously of the First Emperor?"

...

……

As soon as he finished speaking, the hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; all the officials and nobles were completely silent.

Almost everyone has already guessed the truth behind this story.

But this time, Fusu did not stop there.

Instead, his gaze was full of sarcasm as he swept over each person in the hall.

Then, it landed once again on the central figure of the hall, on the listless and dejected Physician Meng Yi.

"I am very puzzled."

"I don't understand why a farmer's child would be implicated in such a crime."

"I'm only thinking about this matter; it must be thoroughly investigated."

"If it is true—if the sons and children of farmers in my Great Qin really speak out against and criticize the First Emperor, then the state of my Great Qin is probably in imminent danger."

"But in the end, what I discovered left me truly bewildered. Should I be happy, or worried...?"

After saying this, Fusu silently sat back on the imperial couch, only giving Meng Tian a look that said, "Thank you for your trouble, teacher."

Meanwhile, Meng Tian, ​​the newly appointed Grand Tutor of the Emperor, sat in the head seat of the Eastern Seat and sighed for a moment before standing up in full view of everyone.

She stepped forward, came to her younger brother Meng Yi's side, and gently patted Meng Yi's shoulder.

Then, facing the officials in the hall, he spoke slowly.

"Hei Fu was a native of Xiyin Village, Dan Township, Anyang County, Handan Prefecture."

"Born in the twenty-third year of the First Emperor's reign, he was imprisoned in the thirty-third year of the First Emperor's reign at the age of ten."

"Both my father and mother were farmers. My older sister married early. I have one younger brother and one younger sister, both of whom are still young. For seven generations, none of my ancestors had received a stipend."

"They own eighty mu of land, which yields more than 240 shi of millet annually. The family of five has enough to eat and wear."

...

"In the thirty-first year of the First Emperor's reign, my father was imprisoned for the crime of 'gathering a fighting party' and was sent to Nanjun to build the Straight Road. He died from overwork."

"In the thirty-second year, my mother died of grief."

"Thirty-three years later, Black was imprisoned for libel."

"Both my younger brother and sister have been exiled. Eighty mu of land under my name were purchased by my cousin, who was the magistrate of Anyang County."

"The price is four hundred coins..."

As Meng Tian slowly uttered the final three words, "four hundred coins," all the officials in the hall lowered their heads in shame and indignation.

Four hundred coins.

Around the time of the First Emperor's unification of China, the price of grain was around thirty coins per shi (a unit of dry measure). These four hundred coins could buy more than ten shi of grain, enough for this "Black Man" to eat for more than half a year.

After Qin unified the country and standardized the currency system, four hundred coins—or half a liang of Qin coins—could buy eight shi of grain.

But it was clear that the cousin of the magistrate of Anyang County would not kindly give Qin half a tael;

Most of the time, it was given to Zhao in the form of money or knife-shaped coins.

The most important question is: even if they give it to us, who will receive the money?

Black's father died at the Straight Road construction site in Southshire, and his mother died at home from grief.

Ten-year-old Haf was also imprisoned, and his younger brother and sister, who were even younger, embarked on a journey of exile.

After Qin unified the country, the strict household registration system and customs system made "exile" almost synonymous with "death".

In other words, the ironic four hundred coins that the Anyang magistrate's so-called "cousin" offered to buy these eighty acres of farmland were probably not actually paid at all...

"Gentlemen, perhaps you understand what I am talking about."

"Our Great Qin may need the Great Wall and the Straight Road, or it may not."

"Perhaps imperial tombs and Epang Palaces are needed to enhance the grandeur of the palace, or perhaps they are not."

"But in any case, our Great Qin should not—and cannot continue like this any longer."

...

"I have only one word for you all to consider."

"The common people and farmers simply don't have the energy to care whether the tax-collecting government is from Qin, Chu, or Zhao."

"As long as the taxes and levies do not become heavier, or even just not too much heavier, they will not bother with the government and will change from the original Chu and Zhao government to the county government of our Great Qin."

"They would even be glad if taxes were reduced."

"Fortunately, our Great Qin conquered the six states and freed them from the heavy burden of taxes."

As he spoke, Fusu bowed to Meng Tian, ​​expressing his gratitude for Meng Tian's cooperation.

After Meng Tian returned the greeting with a bow and went back to his seat at the head of the table, Fusu straightened up again and looked up at the assembled officials in the hall.

"That kid—Blackie."

He died in Shangjun in the spring and summer of this year.

"He was worked to death at the foot of the Great Wall."

"I once asked Hei Fu: What do you want to do in the future?"

"He said that if it weren't for the change in his family situation, He would have wanted to follow his father and learn how to farm properly."

...

"He said his younger brother was stronger and braver than his peers from a young age."

"I also heard that those who are seven feet three inches tall and can draw a two-stone bow can be Qin soldiers."

"Hei Fu originally wanted to farm well, and together with his father, raise a great man who could take on ten men, eat the military rations of my Great Qin, and receive the military pay of my Great Qin."

"Even after my father and mother passed away one after another—even when I last saw Heifu, he was still saying: Once the Great Wall is built, I will return to my hometown to farm and raise my younger brother and sister to adulthood."

They also said: "If you grit your teeth and farm for a few years, you can save up enough for a betrothal gift and find yourself a husband."

……

Fusu told this story with remarkable calmness.

For no other reason than that this story was the original owner's personal experience, not Fusu's.

Fusu was merely a narrator, a storyteller.

But at this moment, all the officials and nobles gathered in the main hall of Xianyang Palace to participate in this court ceremony saw such a scene.

Blackie—most likely a dark-faced boy;

The sons of farmers, especially those born in the Zhao region, are mostly honest, dutiful, and somewhat headstrong young men.

And so, their family was destroyed and they perished.

Because the local county magistrate coveted his family's eighty acres of farmland, his family was ruined and he died.

Even setting aside basic emotions and human nature, and considering only the cold, hard perspective of national interests;

The destruction of the Hei family caused the Qin Dynasty to lose at least 20 shi of agricultural tax, the household tax of one family, and the poll tax of five people every year.

Hei Fu's father, Hei Fu, and his young brother—the Great Qin lost three more ready or potential reserve soldiers and laborers.

Hei Fu's mother and younger sister caused the Qin Dynasty to lose two more women, either existing or potential, who could reproduce.

And this is just a representative example.

When such an isolated case was coincidentally witnessed by Fusu in Shangjun at that time, it could no longer be disguised as an "isolated case".

There are no coincidences.

When a certain type of person appears before a nobleman of Fusu's status, it only shows that such people are everywhere.

The excess couldn't be contained or hidden anywhere else, so some of it leaked out and was accidentally bumped into by Fusu.

A later saying perfectly describes this situation.

—When cockroaches appear in bright places, it means that there are too many cockroaches to fit in dark places.

How many "black men" are there in the world today?

How many farming families have been ruined and destroyed simply because of the misconduct of local officials?

No one dared to say that only the Black family existed.

No one dares to say that this situation is uncommon and an isolated incident.

"Eleven years, three million convicts..."

"Like Hei Fu, those who were framed by local officials probably make up at least two or three out of ten cases, if not half..."

Thinking this, the officials and ministers, who were already speechless, became even more silent.

On the imperial couch, Fusu observed the reactions of the court officials in the hall, and paid particular attention to the expressions of important ministers such as Meng Tian, ​​Meng Yi, Feng Quji, Feng Jie, and Li Si.

In the end, they made the decision decisively.

"The matter of the Great Wall is known to both me and my teacher: it is nearing its end."

"The existing labor force is sufficient until the Great Wall is completed."

"—Therefore, no new labor service or new convicts will be conscripted."

"Use the existing labor service to gradually complete the final stage."

"Once the project is completed, all conscripted laborers will be sent back to their place of origin."

"Convicts shall be reviewed by the Court of Justice; those who have not committed heinous crimes shall be pardoned."

...

"The straight road, which has already begun construction, is like the Great Wall—it should be continued with the existing laborers and convicts. We must not rush it, and we must never add more people."

"All lines not yet under construction are suspended."

...

"With the First Emperor already laid to rest at the Lishan Imperial Mausoleum, the project is gradually coming to an end."

"No more new additions or expansions will be made."

...

"The Epang Palace should be abolished."

"The foundation has been built, and it will remain unchanged."

"It must not be demolished."

As he spoke, Fusu took a deep breath and uttered a sentence that terrified the officials in the hall, yet was also extremely powerful.

"I will remember this well—and I will ensure that future rulers remember it well as well."

"Remember the foundation, the Epang Palace that will never be built, and how it came about."

...

……

As Fusu finished speaking, the vast hall fell into an extremely long silence.

The officials looked at each other.

In the end, they all lowered their heads, lost in thought.

—Today's court meeting was packed with information.

From the time the First Emperor was laid to rest until the Second Emperor, Fusu, ascended the throne;

Then there's the question of whether or not the Epang Palace should have continued to be built, which sparked a series of related discussions.

Overall, while the officials and ministers were astonished, they also gained a general understanding of the ruling philosophy of the Second Emperor, Fusu.

No fluff.

Anything related to "image projects" should be avoided or eliminated if possible.

Even when things are nearing their end, the remaining tasks are completed with minimal effort.

At the same time, to ensure a smooth transition of power, Fusu did not forget to take other precautions.

—Apart from halting the construction of the Epang Palace, Fusu showed no inclination to change or innovate in any other matters.

This attitude of seeking stability on one hand, and rushing to stop the construction of the Epang Palace on the other, made the officials and ministers vaguely sense a strange atmosphere.

Fusu seemed to be in a hurry.

Even knowing that in the current situation, nothing should be rushed—that stability and a transitional government should be the top priorities—Fusu was still eager to stop the construction of the Epang Palace.

It was as if something was urging Fusu from behind;

It's as if if the construction of the Epang Palace hadn't stopped immediately, the Qin Dynasty would have perished soon...

"Perhaps His Majesty is worried that if the project drags on too long, the Epang Palace will be half-finished and cannot be easily abandoned?"

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"With the First Emperor already laid to rest at the Lishan Imperial Mausoleum, the project is gradually coming to an end."

"No more new additions or expansions will be made."

...

"The Epang Palace should be abolished."

"The foundation has been built, and it will remain unchanged."

"It must not be demolished."

As he spoke, Fusu took a deep breath and uttered a sentence that terrified the officials in the hall, yet was also extremely powerful.

"I will remember this well—and I will ensure that future rulers remember it well as well."

"Remember the foundation, the Epang Palace that will never be built, and how it came about."

...

……

As Fusu finished speaking, the vast hall fell into an extremely long silence.

The officials looked at each other.

In the end, they all lowered their heads, lost in thought.

—Today's court meeting was packed with information.

From the time the First Emperor was laid to rest until the Second Emperor, Fusu, ascended the throne;

Then there's the question of whether or not the Epang Palace should have continued to be built, which sparked a series of related discussions.

Overall, while the officials and ministers were astonished, they also gained a general understanding of the ruling philosophy of the Second Emperor, Fusu.