Chapter 111 Battle among ministers: The opponent is brainless!
Thunder struck from the sky, and the news of the Xiongnu's defeat spread rapidly throughout the world with the increasingly sophisticated communication tools of the Qin Dynasty.
What followed was the issue of resettlement of the Huns.
Ying Zheng intended to accept them as new Qin people.
Now, after years of war, the population has not increased, resulting in a small population and a large land area. Many wastelands that could have been reclaimed instinctively can only remain barren.
The Huns are descendants of the Xia Dynasty, and in terms of bloodline, they are of the same ethnic group and race as the Qin Dynasty.
"Your Majesty, I believe we should not accept the Xiongnu for the time being. Although they are descendants of the Xia Dynasty, they have been separated for so long that they are now two different ethnic groups with different cultures and customs. Forcing them to merge will only lead to the destruction of both sides."
"I suggest sending people into the Xiongnu tribes to teach them the language and writing of the Great Qin, as well as its etiquette and ethics. This will allow them to actively integrate into the Great Qin and become a vanguard for its outward expansion."
Now they are no longer frogs in the well who think that the six countries are the world's leaders.
Through the immortal's demonstration, they learned that there were many lands beyond the six kingdoms, and that these lands might harbor diverse ethnic groups. For example, weren't the people of the Western Regions, who traded with Qin, from the distant west?
They have precious pepper spices and beautiful gems, which means there is a certain level of civilization there.
There was no big problem in dealing with the Huns. From the beginning, they had planned to occupy the Huns' territory and let them raise sheep and horses for the Qin Dynasty. Now it was just that the territory had accidentally grown a little bigger.
"Chun Yu Yue, Confucianism emphasizes ritual and music. I'll leave the task of educating the Xiongnu to you."
Chunyu Yue did not argue with him on this matter and accepted the order promptly.
"Li Si, the Xiongnu are barbaric. We must teach them the rules of the Great Qin."
Li Si, hearing the music, understood the meaning and immediately deciphered the hidden meaning behind Ying Zheng's words. "I will arrange for a Legalist disciple to accompany him and revise the most appropriate grassland laws based on local conditions."
Ying Zheng nodded with satisfaction.
He is worthy of being his most convenient number one tool.
"Your Majesty," seeing the topic had come to a halt, the imperial attendant, who had been preparing a speech for a long time, immediately stepped forward, "The Western Regions have pepper and other products. The garlic that performed such a great service a few months ago also came from the Western Regions. I believe we should organize a team to explore the Western Regions."
"There must be countries over there. Right now, the Qin Dynasty is recuperating, and the two sides are very far apart... But when the Qin Dynasty becomes powerful, friction with the countries of the Western Regions will inevitably increase, just like the Qin Dynasty's conflicts with the Baiyue and the Xiongnu."
He said in a resounding voice, "I request Your Majesty to gather intelligence on the countries in the Western Regions in advance to avoid being caught off guard."
No one in the court was a fool, so they naturally understood the implication of his words.
Xiongnu and Baiyue, what is this place?
Neighbor of Daqin.
Where is the Western Regions?
Further west than Xirong.
When will it become like the Baiyue and Xiongnu, with increased friction with the Qin Dynasty?
Of course, that means becoming a neighbor of Daqin!
As for why the countries in the far-off Western Regions would become the neighbors of the Qin Dynasty... ahem, it cannot be said, it cannot be said.
How could they bring up this kind of topic when the Hu merchants from the Western Regions were still their friends?
"If you have something to say, please report it. If you don't have anything to say..." The eunuch standing at the bottom of the imperial steps took a deep breath and began to finish.
But before he could finish, a eunuch came running in from outside and fell to the ground with a thud: "Your Majesty, the Immortal Master is back!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Wei Shengxue, still dressed in blue, stepped into the hall.
"Greetings, Immortal Master!" All civil and military officials saluted in unison.
Ying Zheng stood up and walked down the imperial steps, smiling and greeting him: "Congratulations, fellow Daoist, on your further advancement in cultivation. May your path be smooth."
As he spoke, he scanned her body, but found no difference. If he had to say, he would say that she was even more ethereal than before?
Wei Shengxue also smiled back, "Thank you for your kind words, fellow Daoist. I have indeed gained a lot this time."
All the officials bowed again and said, "Congratulations to the Immortal Master on his prosperous and everlasting immortality."
"No need to be so polite, thank you everyone." Wei Shengxue waved her hand, and small balls flew through the air and landed in front of everyone.
"This is a little treat after the tribulation. Everyone, just have a couple of bites to replenish your body."
Then he explained to Ying Zheng, "With your strength, this little thing is no longer useful. I'll make you a flying magic weapon later. You can take some time to practice your spiritual power."
Ying Zheng smiled clearly, recalling the wonderful experience of being carried flying in the sky last time.
"Then Zheng will wait for the gift from fellow Daoist."
After the greetings, Weishengxue followed Ying Zheng to sit on the imperial steps and asked about the progress of the imperial examination system.
"I met a very smart girl in Yunzhong County. I asked her to go back to the countryside and try for the college entrance examination. Will she be able to catch up next spring?"
Little girl?
"woman?!"
The pedantic old man opened his mouth to refute, but was quickly stopped by the person next to him.
——If you contradict the Immortal Master, His Majesty will be watching you.
A group of people used language that was both euphemistic and straightforward to express their concerns and reasons for opposition. These words consumed countless brain cells and were more difficult than engaging in a battle of wits and courage with political opponents.
But Wei Shengxue just thought they were weird. Wasn't the key to this a matter of talent and ability? Why did they bring up gender?
"You guys are so short of people, and you're still picking and choosing."
She couldn't understand their thinking. In her opinion, talent was the key, not gender. She couldn't understand why these people were so stubborn, just as they couldn't understand why she didn't care about gender. It could only be said that the social environments they lived in were too different.
But not everyone was against it. Some court officials strongly supported this decision and directly confronted those who opposed it. Some were even more determined than Wei Shengxue, the person who raised the topic.
"These gentlemen have untalented sons, but I heard that their daughters are very talented." Seeing Wei Shengxue's confusion, Ying Zheng whispered to clear her up.
Weishengxue said that he understood, and it all came down to interests.
According to the current system of the Qin Dynasty, the next generation cannot inherit one's status. If two generations in a row fail to achieve success, the family's status will drop rapidly. Therefore, ensuring the continuation and prosperity of the family is more important than the so-called old customs.
In the past, there was nothing they could do but worry, pretending to be calm on the outside and pushing their children hard when they got home. But now they have grabbed a life-saving straw, and there is hope for the family's originally hopeless future, but someone wants to take away their life-saving straw.
It would be fine if I had never seen hope, but when I already had it in my hands and it was snatched away by someone else, that would be a feud that would last forever!
No wonder these guys are like fighting cocks, fighting again and again after repeated defeats, and one person can defeat ten.
Wei Shengxue did not get involved in their dispute. The pros and cons of this matter were obvious, and he believed that Ying Zheng would make the most appropriate choice.
After she returned, she called E'ou remotely and told her not to worry and to prepare well for the college entrance examination in the spring of next year.
The voice stone dimmed, signaling the end of the call.
Wei Shengxue walked out of the room. The plants in the courtyard were still as lush as in spring and summer under the nourishment of spiritual power. Even the temperature was maintained at the most comfortable level. The palace maids serving in the courtyard were wearing light spring clothes, which was completely different from the people passing by the gate of the courtyard.
Walking out of the Changsheng Palace along the corridor, Wei Shengxue still didn't feel much, but it was visible to the naked eye that the grass and trees all had a bleak air. The withered yellow leaves poked straight out through the flowers and plants that the palace servants carefully tended, revealing the winter behind the vitality.
The palace servants changed into thick winter clothes, but unlike last year, the clothes they wore were fluffy and puffy, as if they were filled with cotton.
Wei Shengxue didn't find any cotton here, but there was a tree dedicated to the south, and the cotton wool it grew could replace cotton to a certain extent. After promoting its collection, it now roughly covers the needs of Xianyang City.
However, if you want to solve the winter clothing problem faster, you still have to find cotton as soon as possible. I don’t know if there is cotton in this world.
Wei Shengxue was thinking in her mind, she even thought that if she really couldn't find it, she would use metaphysical means to solve it. After activating the spiritual veins in Daqin, she would weave the warming spell directly into the fabric through textiles.
"Why is the immortal master standing in the wind?" Princess Yangzi came back with a few scrolls of silk books. Seeing her standing at the door, she hurried forward and signaled the palace maid to get a cloak.
"You're back." Wei Shengxue stretched out a hand and caught the fallen leaves blown by the autumn wind. "Winter is coming soon."
Princess Yangzi also came over, half a step behind her, and imitated her movements to catch the flying dead leaves. She chuckled and said, "Winter is here, I'm back."
She let go of her hand, and the light dead leaves were lifted up by the wind again, flying in a curl.
…
"It's almost winter, I'm going to check on the fields." The ruddy-faced man put down the bowl, stood up, picked out a hoe that was most suitable for weeding from behind the door, carried it on his shoulders and walked out. He had to check on his precious winter wheat every day, and he would feel sad if a leaf fell.
"Be careful on the road, don't damage the crops." The woman raised her voice and warned him. After watching him leave, she turned around and slapped the child's hand that was about to reach for the bowl. "I've told you several times that you can't eat with your hands, but you just can't remember."
While nagging him, she stood up and corrected his chopstick holding method, her attitude was completely different from a year ago.
The older second son looked at his younger brother enviously while enjoying his mother's gentle voice. He recalled how he was scolded and his ears twisted last year when he was eating with his hands. The more he thought about it, the more unbalanced he felt. He stuffed a large piece of meat into his mouth. The unique greasy smell of fat filled his mouth, which instantly calmed him down.
Although my younger brother has the gentleness of my mother, he has eaten less meat for a year!
If only the family could always be like this, he didn't want to live a life of hunger anymore. He felt so uncomfortable when he was hungry before. He wanted to climb trees and catch birds every day. If he found a few bird eggs, he would quickly put them in his mouth, otherwise they would be snatched away by the older children in the village.
But things were different now. He no longer had to collect bird eggs. The chickens at home could eat their own eggs. He had never eaten eggs before. A Niang said that they were to be saved and sold at the market so that he could buy some salt.
"Mother, when I grow up I'm going to work in a factory in the city and make a lot of money so you can have eggs and meat to eat when you're old!"
The older boy licked his lips, savoring the taste of the meat in his mouth, and loudly declared his ambition to his mother.
When the woman heard his words, she smiled and touched his head, her tone completely different from before. "Okay, my son is ambitious. When you grow up, you will join the factory. You must learn to read and write well so that you can be a manager in the future. This way, you don't have to work hard like your father every day. Come and eat the vegetables. You can eat all the meat today. There's no need to save it for tomorrow."
The older boy nodded vigorously, raised his hand and touched the top of his head where his mother had just touched it, as if there was still some gentle warmth left there, and with his other hand he reached for the thickly sliced meat with chopsticks.
My mother doesn't yell and scold me every day, and we can eat meat even during festivals. Life is so good like this.
The village chief is right, the immortal is a good person.
He hoped that the immortal could stay in Daqin forever so that he could eat meat every day.
When the meal was almost over, the older boy put down his bowl and chopsticks and went to the livestock pen at home. He had a pig, a cage of chickens, and a large nest of rabbits. These were all earned by his father from his work at the factory.
It was a fat-headed, big-eared pig, raised to be slick and oily.
As the older boy poured pig feed into the trough, he kept muttering, "Pig, grow up quickly. By this time next year, we can kill you and eat your meat. You're such a big pig, how long will it take to eat it? I should learn how to store pork soon, otherwise it will rot and I won't be able to eat it." The boy, frightened by his own imagination, quickly poured all the pig feed into the trough and ran into the house with the wooden bucket.
Mom, it’s bad, our pork is going to rot!
In the rabbit cage next to it, there was a large nest of rabbits crowded together, and each one was very fat.
…
"We'll eat the rabbit meat fresh for two meals, and make the rest into smoked meat. Don't sell the rabbit skins; they're all mixed colors and won't fetch a good price. My parents are old, and their knees hurt in the winter. Make them some blankets."
Compared with the previous village with a shorter breeding period, Houshan Village in Jingyang, as one of the first villages to enjoy the benefits of Daqin's development, has much more grain reserves and lives a much better life.
Ordinary farmers would have to save even the eggs they laid every few days to exchange for necessities, but now they could easily say that the rabbit fur was worthless and there was no need to sell it. His wife also nodded calmly, not caring at all about the money from selling the rabbit fur.
"Leave a pair of male and female rabbits, and kill the rest while the weather is good. I will discuss it with my aunt and others later and make a piece of smoked meat, which can also save some firewood." Spend where you should and save where you should. Unnecessary waste is not advisable.
"It's up to you." The man had no objection. "The New Year is coming soon, and the work at the coal factory is heavy. I might not be back for the rest of the month. You can take care of the house."
"I've already entrusted the task of slaughtering the pig to Uncle San. I promised him half a set of pig offal as a thank you gift. Don't leave it out, or else if word gets out, our whole family will be ashamed to face anyone."
The woman nodded and agreed, "Don't worry, I will never forget. Do you still want to slaughter the pig by the small river outside the village?" In the past, when the village slaughtered pigs, they would rush there to clean up.
The man shook his head. "No, there are so many families wanting to slaughter pigs this year, and the space there is too small to do it. Let's move to the threshing ground in the village. It's paved with cement this year, so it's big and spacious."
The woman cried out in amazement. This year, the village had adopted a pig-raising method taught by an immortal. The piglets were growing fast and fat. The piglets brought in at the beginning of the year could be slaughtered by the end of the year. Plus, they had a large litter of rabbits...
"There's so much meat, we won't be able to finish it all next year."
In the past, people only ate meat during festivals. Even if they occasionally hunted wild game in the mountains, they would take it to the market to exchange for needles, thread, and salt. There was no time to eat meat as freely as this.
They really have no experience in handling so much meat.
"This is all thanks to the immortals," the woman clasped her hands together and bowed towards Xianyang City. She then instructed the man, "You should work hard in the factory. I heard that this was also passed down by the immortals, so you can say you are working for them. The immortals have helped us so much, we must remember their kindness."
The man took a piece of meat with his chopsticks and covered the rice with it. "I don't need to worry about it. Just take care of the family."
He remembered that his brothers in the factory wanted to raise money to build a temple for the immortal, but their superiors did not allow it, saying that the immortal did not need these material possessions.
This is a true god, who doesn’t even care about incense.
But the immortal didn't want it, so they had to do it. When they had collected enough money and had some free time, they would go to the mountains and build a house. They would not show it to outsiders, but only for themselves to worship. When the immortal returned to heaven in the future, there would be people to offer sacrifices to her every day, so that she would not be unable to enjoy the incense and food she wanted one day.
The day of slaughtering the pig came in a blink of an eye. The skilled workers in the village put on their equipment early, and each family brought a basin to collect the pig's blood. This is a good thing, and it will become very tender after being put into water.
The headman moved a stool and stood on it, speaking at the top of his voice.
It basically summarizes the changes in the village this year. Everyone's life has become better. We should thank the immortals and His Majesty. Everyone should work hard and strive to live a better life next year, etc.
Almost every household in the village had to slaughter a pig, and the sound of slaughtering pigs floated over Houtou Village for several days before it stopped.
The women carried the pig's blood home, talking and laughing all the way. The roads in the village were paved, so they no longer had to worry about accidentally stepping into a mud pit and falling like before. They could walk very steadily.
"Then I'll go in first. Amu will be back for dinner tonight, and I have to prepare food for him quickly." Amu's wife said goodbye to the others, turned around, pushed the door and entered her own yard.
A tall, solid earthen wall enclosed her house, and once the door was closed, nothing could be seen.
"Amu's family has changed a lot. The fence of the old house was mostly rotten, but now there's a mud wall. And the gate is so smooth. When I came to their house before, I would accidentally knock it down every time I pushed it."
"Well, it's all thanks to his son Amu, who's so hardworking. He learned to read quickly and is willing to work hard. In less than half a year, he became a small manager in the factory. Look, in just a few months, the house at home has been renovated. I heard that he is going to send his son to school. From now on, maybe we will have to call him "adult" every time we see him."
A few people walked away laughing. On the other side of the wall, Amu's wife touched the clean and smooth stove, with a trace of confusion in her eyes, as if she were in another world.
Is this really the good life I am living?
This can't be a dream, right?
When I woke up from the dream, I was still that poor person worrying about having no rice to eat tomorrow.
While cooking, Amu's wife thought about her current life, which felt like she had fallen into a happy nest.
The whole family is together for dinner, and they can have some meat from time to time. When the weather gets cold at night, they go to bed on the kang, which is warm and they won't feel cold even if they only cover themselves with a thin quilt. What is burning underneath is not firewood, but coal ash brought back from the factory by the head of the family. It can be burned all night long by kneading mud. In the kitchen, a pot of porridge with eggs is stewed on a honeycomb coal stove, and they can eat it the next morning, saving the trouble of getting up early to cook.
Immortal, if this is really a dream, then let this dream last a little longer.
When the first snowflakes of winter fell, every household in the village hung baskets of smoked and bacon under the eaves. They were greasy and made people drool just by looking at them.
"The winter wheat in this experimental field is growing very well. Next spring, it will produce enough wheat seeds for the entire county, and we will be able to grow two crops in the future."
Although they now have enough food and clothing, the desire for food is still deeply rooted in the hearts of farmers. They look forward to a good harvest and hope that their granaries will be filled to withstand disasters that may come at any time.
…
"This winter is cold, and there may be snowstorms. Ask patrol officers to pay more attention. If there is a disaster, report it immediately."
In the court, Ying Zheng gave the order for this matter.
The immortal had issued a warning half a month ago. Even if a disaster is inevitable, the losses must be minimized if we know it in advance.
The officer in charge received the order and returned to the queue.
Ying Zheng brought up another matter: "How are your preparations for the imperial examination next spring?"
Preparations have been ongoing, and unless there are any major accidents, the college entrance examination will be carried out smoothly in all counties.
It’s still the same old question: can women participate?
The opposition, relying on convention and interests, was particularly vocal: "Since ancient times, there has never been a case of women serving as officials."
"When women serve as officials, what are the regulations for official uniforms? Women are weak, and if they need to be sent abroad, can they endure the hardships? And when they arrive at the local place, will those people be convinced?"
What's more, if women can become officials, they will have to share some of the benefits, which they won't do.
The supporters also launched a continuous attack for their own interests: "Your Majesty the Emperor has created an unprecedented era, hasn't he broken enough conventions? Moreover, this matter has the support of the immortals, do you want to fight against the immortals?"
"If you truly have talent, why bother with gender stereotypes? Right now, the Qin Empire is short of officials. Where will we find them if we expand our territory? Opening the imperial examinations to women is the inevitable trend."
They borrowed the words of an immortal, "The wheel of history rolls on, and you are but ants crushed by it. Yet you dare to think you can stop the chariot with your arms? How arrogant and foolish!"
The opposition kept harping on the fact that women are weak.
The supporters said directly: "The immortals once said that Daqin could become a place like the immortal world where everyone can cultivate immortality. At that time, it would be a competition of immortal skills. Even if one is born with a weak body, it would not matter."
After much debate, the final decision was made by Ying Zheng.
They could never stop or persuade their Majesty from doing what he wanted to do.
Your Majesty, what do you think?
What is Ying Zheng thinking?
Everyone was secretly guessing what he was thinking, wondering whether it would work or not.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
