Ying Fusu

"I spoke a bit too harshly during today's court meeting."

"Please do not be offended, Physician."

Xianyang Palace, the rear hall of the central palace.

Unlike just now, when he sat high on the imperial couch, looking down at the officials and ministers in the hall, his seriousness was different.

At this moment, Fusu, with only a faint smile, invited Meng Tian and other important officials to take their seats at the banquet on the side of the hall.

Fusu himself did not sit in the head seat to put on airs, but sat down in front of everyone.

He first gently expressed his apologies to Meng Yi, saying "It wasn't directed at you," and then gave Meng Tian an apologetic look.

After the two brothers silently bowed, indicating that "Your Majesty is serious," Fusu took a deep breath and formally steered the conversation back on track.

"During the court meeting just now, in front of all the officials and nobles, there were many things that were inconvenient to say."

"Now that the court session has ended, only a few of us, the emperor and his ministers, are discussing this in secret."

"Some things can now be said openly."

While they were talking, Fusu reached out and took a scroll of bamboo slips from a palace maid.

After examining it carefully, he solemnly handed it over to Meng Tian.

"Since the teacher sent someone to investigate, then let the teacher tell you all about it."

Meng Tian responded with a bow and then accepted the bamboo slip handed to him by Fusu.

But it was not laid out;

Instead, he held the bamboo slips in his hand as if they were a ruler, and looked at the others with an extremely solemn expression.

"The matters I have been ordered to investigate by His Majesty are mainly three."

"Firstly, we need to investigate a group of people."

"This group of people included most of the royal families of the former six kingdoms, some local officials, and so-called 'heroes'."

"Liu Ji, the head of the Sishui Pavilion, whom Your Majesty mentioned during the court meeting just now, is also among them."

...

"Among them, there are a few people His Majesty pays special attention to, which I would like to inform you of."

"—Liu Ji, the head of the Sishui Pavilion in Pei County, was escorting laborers to the Mangdang Mountain area in the thirty-second year of the First Emperor's reign. Because several laborers escaped at night, he feared being implicated and was forced to join the outlaws."

"Among the laborers and servants released by Liu Ji, more than a dozen brave men followed him."

"Soon afterward, rumors began to circulate in Pei County that Liu Ji, drunk at night, killed the White Emperor's son while reincarnated as the son of the Red Emperor, thus severing the fate of our Great Qin."

"To this day, in Guangpei County alone, hundreds of young men have left their hometowns to follow Liu Ji."

"No one knows how many young men and soldiers Liu Ji has gathered in the surrounding areas."

...

……

Before Meng Tian spoke—or more precisely, before being summoned to the palace by Fusu—everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts.

The physician Meng Yi, who had been publicly humiliated by Fusu, was beginning to question the meaning of life.

It's not that I blame Fusu, but he criticized me in front of all the officials and ministers, showing me no respect.

Instead, it was Fusu's words that made Meng Yi doubt himself—doubt whether he had truly "held a high position for too long" and was so ignorant of the actual situation in the local area.

·

The two officials, Right Chancellor Feng Quji and Imperial Censor Feng Jie, had mixed feelings of joy and sorrow.

What pleased Fusu was that he took the initiative to propose halting all large-scale construction projects, including the Epang Palace, that were wasteful of manpower and resources.

Both men had long planned this matter and even considered advising the First Emperor.

However, they could never find a suitable opportunity, or rather, they were unable to speak out because of the First Emperor's autocratic rule.

During today's court meeting, Fusu took the initiative to bring up this matter, even showing his firm determination that "my mind is made up," which naturally pleased the two men.

But besides being happy, a sense of unease also arose in their hearts.

—They look so alike.

When Fusu decided to stop the construction of the Epang Palace, his resolute "I'm in charge" demeanor was very similar to the powerful attitude of the First Emperor when he ordered the construction of the Epang Palace.

Looking at the matter at hand, the cessation of construction on the Epang Palace, the completion of the Great Wall and the Lishan Imperial Mausoleum, and the absence of any new routes along the Straight Road are certainly cause for celebration.

However, the Second Emperor also exhibited the same domineering and autocratic nature as the First Emperor.

In the eyes of Feng Quji and Feng Jie, this was hardly good news...

·

Of course, there's also Li Si.

Because Fusu was determined to cover up the "Sand Dune Incident" and put all the blame on Zhao Gao, Li Si, as the Left Chancellor, was naturally able to stay out of the matter for the time being.

Although he knew that Fusu would not let him go and would deal with him sooner or later, at least for now, Li Si was still in a state of "knowing that he was going to die, he was content to enjoy his last moments".

At the same time, for the sake of the clan's future, Li Si was always ready to actively cooperate with Fusu in any matter that required his assistance.

But today, Fusu, in the very first court assembly held by the Second Emperor, directly halted the construction of the Epang Palace, which had been ordered to be built by the First Emperor…

Li Si felt a mix of emotions.

Should we speak up and stop them?

Li Si himself was still a criminal, and the fact that he could temporarily prolong his life was all thanks to Xie Fusu for considering the overall situation.

Can we just leave it as it is?

Watching helplessly as the Second Emperor overturned the First Emperor's wishes and orders, Li Si felt inexplicably uneasy.

With mixed feelings, he followed Meng Tian, ​​Meng Yi, Feng Quji and Feng Jie to the rear hall where Fusu was.

I was just wondering whether I should privately try to persuade Fusu;

Then Meng Tian mentioned that this Sishui Pavilion Chief named Liu Ji had already gained considerable influence in the Mangdang Mountain area...

"Gathering hundreds or thousands of people and occupying the mountains and forests is indeed a troublesome situation."

"If Your Majesty is still uneasy, you may send a capable general with a large army to quell the rebellion."

Li Si's first reaction was to launch a military campaign to destroy them.

Not understanding Fusu's purpose, nor why he wanted to investigate Meng Yi and Feng Jie, the two officials in charge of Sishui Pavilion, he nodded indifferently.

They were just a few hundred bandits.

More than a decade ago, when the Qin Dynasty conquered the six states one by one, which battle did it not face tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of enemy troops?

With all six kingdoms destroyed, what are we afraid of with a mere thousand or so bandits?

However, the reactions of these three people caused Fusu to shake his head in slight disappointment.

It wasn't until Right Chancellor Feng Quji realized the seriousness of the problem that Fusu's disappointment was replaced by a hint of relief.

"Bandits are secondary."

"What's really important is the rumor that he drunkenly slew the snake that night, that the reincarnation of the Red Emperor killed the White Emperor, and that this would ruin the fate of our Great Qin."

As soon as Feng Quji finished speaking, Meng Tian immediately nodded, his face indescribably gloomy.

Last year, a fire stone fell from the sky in Dongjun, with the inscription: "The First Emperor will die and the land will be divided."

"The First Emperor knew very well that this was an act by the remnants of the six states, using the name of ghosts and gods to bewitch the people of the world."

"To prevent this misleading rumor from spreading, the First Emperor did not hesitate to order the extermination of all the people around Huoshi."

...

"The thousands of bandits are certainly not a cause for concern."

"There is no need to mobilize troops—the local militia of counties and prefectures are sufficient to quell the rebellion."

"On the contrary, the stories of drunkenly slaying the snake, killing the White Emperor's son, and severing the fate of the Qin state are most likely to bewitch the hearts of the people."

Upon hearing this, and seeing Feng Quji nod as well, and with the two old ministers displaying identical solemn expressions, the rest of the group finally realized what was going on.

After a brief silence, Meng Tian's "work report" rang out again.

"The second person His Majesty is paying attention to—or rather, the second group of people—is named: Xiang Ji and Xiang Liang."

"Xiang Liang was the son of Xiang Yan, a famous general of the former Chu state, while Xiang Ji was Xiang Yan's grandson. The two were uncle and nephew."

"After Qin destroyed Chu and Xiang Yan died in battle, the Xiang clan was forcibly relocated to the old capital, Liyang, by the First Emperor."

"Xiang Liang was a learned man, skilled in both literature and martial arts, and he imparted all his knowledge of military strategy and tactics to his nephew Xiang Ji."

"Xiang Ji was born with superhuman strength, strong enough to lift a tripod, which was quite impressive."

...

"In the thirty-second year of the First Emperor's reign, Xiang Liang invited the royal families and nobles of the former six kingdoms to a banquet at Xiang Liang's residence in Liyang. The banquet was ostensibly a feast, but in reality, it was a secret meeting to discuss the restoration of the six kingdoms."

"During the banquet, the royal families and nobles of the former six kingdoms were only concerned with the pleasure of food and drink, and remained silent on the matter of restoring their kingdoms."

"Xiang Ji, a young man of passion, angrily berated the guests for failing the country's favor. In the ensuing verbal dispute, he even drew his sword and stabbed one of them to death."

"To avoid the plot being exposed, Xiang Liang, along with Xiang Ji, surrendered himself to the government, confessed to the murder, and offered to compensate the deceased's family."

"Yet he still couldn't escape imprisonment and punishment..."

……

Given the precedent of a mere Sishui Pavilion Chief being implicated in "severing the fate of the Qin Dynasty," no one dared to underestimate Xiang Liang and his nephew Xiang Ji this time.

However, considering that the two had already been imprisoned for their crimes and that Fusu had already discovered their secret of "gathering a crowd to plot the restoration of the country," the people were not really worried.

Now that the man is in prison and their scheme has been exposed, what kind of trouble can this uncle and nephew still cause?

Surely these two uncles and nephews couldn't possibly escape from the prison in Liyang County, the old capital of Qin.

"That's true."

"These two men, uncle and nephew, escaped from Liyang Prison years ago and fled to the Wu region."

As if he had guessed what everyone was thinking, Meng Tian's casual remark once again stunned everyone.

Seeing the disbelief in Feng Quji's gaze, he shook his head with a wry smile and said, "Here comes the fourth person that you are concerned about, young master."

"—Formerly the prison clerk of Liyang, now the chief secretary of the Prime Minister's office: Sima Xin."

"After being imprisoned for his crimes, Xiang Liang bribed his old friend Cao Jiu, a prison clerk in Qi County, with a large sum of money, and Cao Jiu then pleaded with Sima Xin on his behalf."

"Therefore, Sima Xin resolved the matter by turning a major issue into a minor one, and a minor one into nothing, thus saving Xiang Liang and his nephew from imprisonment."

"After leaving Liyang Prison, the uncle and nephew fled eastward all the way to Wu."

...

"The two fled to Wu County, the seat of Kuaiji Commandery, where they were taken in by Zheng Chang, the magistrate of Wu County."

"To this day, Xiang Liang's reputation as a virtuous man has spread far and wide in the Wu region. Whenever there is a need for conscription, military service, or weddings and funerals, Xiang Liang is always put in charge."

"In private, Xiang Liang used military strategy to discipline and train his retainers and disciples, with grand ambitions."

"Ninety strong men under his command secretly minted Qin coins day and night to purchase armor and weapons."

"The clan has dozens of sons, all of whom are well-versed in military strategy and are considered potential generals..."

With each word Meng Tian spoke, the expressions on the faces of the others grew increasingly grim.

As soon as the words were spoken, a single thought simultaneously flooded everyone's minds.

—Traitor!

—A complete and utter traitor!

—And it wasn't just one person, but a whole group!

Moreover, unlike Liu Ji, the head of the Sishui Pavilion who gathered people in the mountains and forests, this group of rebels led by Xiang Liang had already openly and legitimately seized a base!

Once any disturbance occurs somewhere in the world, the storm stirred up by this group of rebels will at least sweep through Kuaiji County, and even several surrounding counties!

Hearing this, no one thought that Fusu was just idly bothering Meng Tian to investigate a few unimportant people.

How many people are there?

One is Liu Ji, and the other is Xiang Liang, uncle and nephew; these are already two potential rebels!

How many more rebels like this are there in reserve?

How many Liu Jis still gather in the mountains and forests, and how many Xiang Liang uncles and nephews still dominate a region today?

...

In just a moment, the atmosphere in the rear hall plummeted to below freezing.

Even Fusu, who was mentally prepared for this—having already seen the summary sheet—felt a chill in his heart.

Liu Ji, Xiang Liang, Xiang Ji;

The three most "famous" commanders of the uprising army at the end of the Qin Dynasty.

Aside from Xiang Liang, who died in battle, there was also Emperor Gaozu of Han and Hegemon-King of Western Chu!

Even those seemingly insignificant figures, such as Sima Xin, the prison clerk of Liyang, Cao Jiu, the prison clerk of Qixian, and Zheng Chang, the magistrate of Wuxian, were all 'big shots' who enjoyed great prestige during that glorious period.

—Sima Xin, a prison clerk in Liyang, served as the chief secretary and followed Zhang Han, the Junior Steward, to defeat Chen Sheng. He also surrendered Xiang Yu to Zhang Han at the foot of Julu City.

He was appointed as the Supreme General by Xiang Ji, followed Xiang Ji into Guanzhong, and was enfeoffed as one of the eighteen vassal kings: King of Sai!

—Cao Jiu, a prison clerk in Qi County, was appointed Grand Marshal by Xiang Ji and granted the title of Marquis of Haichun!

— Zheng Chang, the magistrate of Wu County, followed Xiang Ji into Guanzhong and was enfeoffed as one of the eighteen vassal kings: King of Han!

...

"No need to say anything more to those who have troubled the teacher to investigate."

After listening to Liu Ji and Xiang Liang's investigation report, Fusu let out a long sigh of helplessness and signaled Meng Tian not to continue.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

These traitors—or rather, leaders of the rebel army—who in the original history were the ones who kicked the Qin Dynasty's leg hard, have now embarked on the "correct" path in life at this juncture.

This left Fusu with no choice but to give up his chance to take advantage of being a time traveler.

With Fusu speaking, Meng Tian's report moved on to the next part.

"Besides investigating these people, His Majesty also ordered me to send people to various parts of Kanto to gather information."

Upon hearing this, the expressions on the faces of Feng Quji, Feng Jie, and the others subtly became solemn.

—Simply speaking, there's nothing special about the field research.

In the past few years, even before the Qin Dynasty unified China, the imperial court would send imperial censors to various places every year to collect local customs and traditions.

The so-called "field research" is actually a way to collect local customs and traditions in various places under the guise of publicly funded tourism.

Pay close attention to the general living conditions of people in different regions—whether they are suffering from extreme oppression or feeling extremely dissatisfied with their lives;

Or perhaps, some unhealthy trends or evil practices have emerged, or even worse, there is widespread discontent with the central government.

The term "field research" alone doesn't seem like anything to be surprised about.

However, with Liu Ji and Xiang Liang, uncle and nephew, setting a precedent, no one could afford to be complacent about Meng Tian's "sending people to gather information".

as predicted.

Meng Tian's next words revealed to everyone the truth of what had actually happened all over the country over the past few years, yet not a single word of it had reached the Xianyang court.

"The situation is most dire in the Chu region."

"Especially back then, when the Chu general Xiang Yan was dying in battle, he said: 'Even if Chu has only three households left, it will surely be Chu that destroys Qin.' This saying was widely spread in the Chu region."

"Furthermore, the Northern Great Wall, the straight roads in various places, and even the Lishan Imperial Mausoleum in Guanzhong and the Afang Palace in Weinan—the Chu region also had the largest number of conscripted laborers."

"For almost every two or three households, one male member was conscripted."

...

"I'm not afraid of scaring you all."

"The informant who went to the Chu region to gather information reported: Nowadays in Chu, even three- to five-year-old children know what 'the destruction of Qin will surely be caused by Chu' means."

"They are all waiting for the day when a brave man will rise up and call upon the people, and they will rise up to follow him and rebel against our Great Qin."