"Once upon a time there was a country called Qin."

"The emperor who founded the Qin Dynasty was called Qin Shi Huang. He unified the six kingdoms and established an extremely powerful country!"

On the Chang'an, Fu Xiaoguan was talking about history with Su Jue and others. For this world, the history he was talking about was obviously fictional, because there was no Qin State in this world.

"Everyone thought this country would remain strong and last for hundreds of years no matter what."

"But no one expected such a powerful country to only exist for fourteen years!"

Su Jue was stunned. "How is this possible? Could it be that there is another civil strife? Or a struggle for the throne?"

Fu Xiaoguan grinned, "There are many reasons. As the First Emperor, he did a lot to ensure the stability of his country and the continuation of imperial power for generations to come."

"In the military, he built the Great Wall... a wall stretching thousands of miles to defend against foreign enemies."

"Economically, he unified the currency, prohibiting the other six states from using their original tortoise shells, shells, jade, etc. He stipulated that the entire country should use a round coin made of gold and copper."

"Third, he unified the standards for weights and measures, so that all calculations of length, size, and weight were carried out under a unified standard across the country."

"Fourthly, regarding transportation throughout the country, he ordered the construction of unified highways and connected waterways of all sizes."

"Fifth, culturally, he unified the written language, and... he also unified thought."

"To prevent the people from rebellion, he issued a book ban, confiscated banned books, and took action against Confucian scholars who criticized the government, silencing the people."

"No matter how you look at it, all he did should have made the Qin Empire impregnable. But... it really only existed for fourteen years!"

Su Jue straightened his hat and thought of Fu Xiaoguan, who was also known as the First Emperor of Daxia!

He suddenly felt that Fu Xiaoguan had done a lot of these things, but he did not build the Great Wall or unify the people's thoughts.

Even Chang'an, the imperial capital of Daxia, didn't have any city walls.

It seems that he has never tried to prevent the people from rebellion. In the past, during the Yu Dynasty, the only thing he had done was to ban weapons, but with the establishment of Daxia, he also relaxed this rule. Now martial arts have flourished again. In addition to Taoist temples, martial arts schools and sects have emerged in various places.

So the two First Emperors were different, and the problems that occurred in the Qin State probably lay in these two points.

Su Jue and Su Mo both looked at Fu Xiaoguan, thinking that he would give an explanation, but they didn't expect that Fu Xiaoguan just grinned.

"History is something that future generations will judge for its merits and demerits. Qin Shi Huang was undoubtedly great, but even the greatest man, if his power is unchecked and if his governance of the country fails to keep up with the times, will eventually be eliminated. However, the demise of Qin Ershi was a bit too swift."

"Speaking of Daxia, Yan Beixi and the others roughly know the reason why I abdicated so early. In fact, now that I reflect on what I have done over the years, I feel a little regretful."

Su Jue and the other two were stunned. "You created the prosperous era of Great Xia, bringing peace to the country and prosperity to the people. Why do you still regret it?"

"Tianci is so young, and I'm worried he'll make a big mistake. We often say that children are young and their mistakes can be forgiven, but that's not true."

"If it were an ordinary child, even if he made a serious mistake, at most it would only bring disaster to a few people. But as the emperor, if Tianci made a mistake... it would bring disaster to thousands of families in Daxia!"

Su Mo frowned slightly. "With Yan Xiwen and the others assisting him, and the cabinet keeping him in check, what mistakes could the emperor possibly make?"

"Everyone has a competitive spirit, especially young people!"

"Tianci's starting point may not be wrong. He wants to govern Daxia better and become a wise ruler. I often reminded him back then to take things slowly and not rush. I hope that after he ascends the throne, he can proceed step by step and adapt to the new management model where power is limited and divided."

"Perhaps I'm overthinking this. I hope he can understand my good intentions and realize that being an emperor is just a job, not an almighty being who can control everything, have his say, and decide life and death."

Fu Xiaoguan picked up the teacup, looked at the vast ocean, narrowed his eyes slightly, and felt that he should not doubt his son. Tianci was a sensible child, and he should understand that national interests are above everything else.

…

…

The Great Xia Palace, Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Wu Tianci lay on the recliner, looking up at the sunset in the sky.

Liu Jin stood behind him cautiously, not even daring to breathe.

Liu Jin suddenly felt that it was easy to serve the retired emperor, but he was terrified and walking on thin ice when serving this new master.

"Liu Jin,"

"The servant is here!"

"I now understand why Father took the rest of the brothers away. In fact, they are the happiest."

Liu Jin didn't dare to respond. He stood with his body bent, his eyes only fixed on his toes.

"Because it's completely boring to be the emperor. No matter what, I have to discuss everything with the three prime ministers. Even if I am obviously right, I still have to look at the faces of those old guys in the cabinet!"

"If they don't agree, I won't be able to do anything I want to do!"

"Tell me...how can I use this power to accomplish greater things for Daxia?"

"...Your Majesty, I believe you have plenty of time. Please don't be impatient! Besides... the Retired Emperor was already in his twenties when he ascended the throne of the Wu Dynasty. Your Majesty is only thirteen now. I dare to say that although Your Majesty has been by the Retired Emperor's side for a year, but, but..."

Liu Jin didn't dare to say anything, but Wu Tianci grinned and laughed at himself, "You bastard, aren't you just trying to say that I still have many skills to learn?"

"I know this, which is why I need to learn and grow through governance!"

"If I can't do anything, won't I just be a puppet emperor for the rest of my life?"

Liu Jin didn't dare to say anything again, thinking that when the emperor was in power, many things had to be discussed with the ministers and approved by the cabinet, except for war.

What does this indicate?

This shows that the emperor is more meticulous about the country's internal affairs, but as for foreign wars, they are fought against other countries anyway, and Daxia has a strong economy to support foreign wars, so the emperor emeritus is more rough.

"There's no point staying in this palace. Liu Jin, make some arrangements tomorrow. I'm going to go around Chang'an City... Don't alarm those ministers, or I won't even be able to leave this palace!"

"I obey your order, but where would you like to go, Your Majesty?"

"It doesn't matter. As long as I can get out of this place... By the way, I heard the food at Sifanglou is delicious. Let's go there for lunch tomorrow, and then find a place to watch a play in the afternoon. And tonight... let's go to Nevernight Square and find a place to listen to music."