Chapter 39 I didn't bring much with me when I came, in the salt...
They didn't bring much with them when they arrived. After spending the night in Xianyang Palace, they brought several more carriages to carry the rewards on their way to Lishan.
Although Lin Fengzhi refused the grand palace that was still under construction, the First Emperor still bestowed upon her a large mansion next to the Xianyang Palace. Lin Fengzhi didn't have time to go see it; she only overheard the charioteer introducing it to Qi when she passed by the mansion.
The charioteer said with envy, "His Majesty bestowed the residence upon the Divine Envoy near Xianyang Palace. Almost all the residences of high-ranking officials and nobles are in this area. Look over there, the Divine Envoy's residence is right next to Prime Minister Li."
The Qin system emphasized "the majesty of the emperor," requiring high-ranking officials' residences to be close to the palace for court discussions. The area north of Xianyang Palace and along the Wei River was the residential area for high-ranking officials and nobles, which Sima Qian referred to as "the most prestigious residences north of the palace."
"The carriage has been traveling for quite a while, and we can still see Prime Minister Li's residence. It's truly magnificent." Qi Wang looked around, filled with admiration. "Why is the main gate red?"
The charioteer patiently explained to the country boy, "It's because it's painted with vermilion lacquer, which is also a symbol of Li Xiang's status. The Divine Messenger's door should also have it."
Vermilion is a relatively noble color in the system of rites and is regarded as an auspicious color in Yin-Yang theory, possessing both the functions of majesty and protection of the home.
Qi pointed to the left side of the road and exclaimed in surprise, "That watchtower... is even higher than the city wall of our county government!"
Lin Fengzhi lifted the carriage curtain and looked in the direction of the shouts. Two rammed earth watchtowers pierced the sky like the fangs of giant beasts. The surface of the earthen towers was mixed with reddish-brown gravel, which blew blood under the autumn sun. The armor reflected light faintly from the watchtowers on the top of the towers.
The charioteer said, "This is another honor bestowed by His Majesty. Not just anyone dares to erect a gate tower in front of their residence."
The carriage drew ever closer, and the imposing presence of the vermilion gate loomed large. The door panels were not painted with ordinary ochre, but with a thick lacquer mixed with crushed vermilion, a dazzling crimson. Above the gate hung a single piece of ebony wood plaque, the three characters "Tonghou Mansion" engraved in small seal script and inlaid with gold thread.
“Heavens…” Qi stared at the door studs and muttered to himself, “They’re thicker than the sticks I use to discipline disobedient children in the clan.”
His stick, though called a stick, was actually just a bamboo strip. The Xiangshan area is rich in bamboo; a single rain can produce a great many. Lin Fengzhi had planned to use bamboo to make paper, but plans change, and the First Emperor arrived first.
The area in front of the Prime Minister's residence was bustling with activity. Five four-horse carriages were blocking the porch of Li Si's residence. The carriage in the lead one had its canopy covered with blue silk, and the driver was whipping and scolding the oxcart blocking the way.
Lin Fengzhi caught a glimpse of a corner of the screen wall inside the gate, where colorful paintings of unknown birds and beasts swirled on the rammed earth wall, and the brick floor was covered with diamond-patterned blue bricks.
It was the epitome of wealth and luxury.
No wonder Li Si couldn't bear to part with the First Emperor; who in the world could give him all that?
As the carriage finally passed the last stretch of road in front of the Prime Minister's residence, the driver pointed with his whip and said, "Look, this is where the Divine Envoy's residence begins. The gold and silver that the Divine Envoy previously specified as unnecessary have all been placed in the residence, and there are three hundred guards watching over it."
Qi looked down the whip and saw giant tiles with kui patterns forming a menacing array on the roof ridge, each as large as a cartwheel. He exclaimed excitedly, "They're huge! Great Shaman, our entire tribe can live in them!"
Lin Fengzhi guessed that the mansion was at least ten acres in size, and she immediately admired the First Emperor's extravagance. No wonder everyone wants to climb the social ladder; in her previous life, she worked herself to the bone but couldn't afford a house in the capital, but in this life, she effortlessly owned a luxury mansion there.
"It's a pity. It's hard to leave one's homeland. Not everyone is willing to leave Qingcaoshan and come to Xianyang." Lin Fengzhi sighed, and couldn't help but think of An Heyong and many other clansmen.
The weaving workshops in the Keluo people's territory have been transformed into official workshops in Qianling County, becoming a model for the entire Cangwu Prefecture to learn weaving techniques.
The legacy left by Lin Fengzhi continues to bless them. An wrote to her, telling her that she would use the money left by Lin Fengzhi to continue opening schools, so that all the people of Keluo would have the ability to choose the life they want.
When she achieves success, she will help others. If she has any spare capacity, she will also take in children of the appropriate age from the neighborhood.
Because of Lin Fengzhi's status, the Prefect of Cangwu County and the newly appointed Magistrate of Qianling County showed great care for the people of Keluo and dared not neglect them in the slightest.
The tribes in the Xiang River basin also felt grateful to the Keluo people because they had benefited from Lin Fengzhi's influence to varying degrees.
In her letter, An also mentioned that some children said they missed her, and she told them to study hard, improve their skills, and then go to Xianyang to see her.
Lin Fengzhi couldn't help but think that she had brought about some changes, right?
"Great Shaman, Xiao Shui and I will stay with you." Qi hesitated for a moment, then said, "Even if Xiao Shui leaves, I won't leave. Because I am the Great Shaman's personally chosen deputy."
"Xiao Shui is destined to be a female official. She will have to walk a very difficult path. Like you, she will not leave easily."
Qi's eyes reflected Lin Fengzhi's youthful face, just as An had looked at her when she left.
Lin Fengzhi's heart softened, and she said, "Thank you, Qi."
Qi scratched his head and said nothing more.
The sky suddenly turned gloomy. When Lin Fengzhi lowered the carriage curtain, she glimpsed the dragon-patterned roof tiles of the Prime Minister's Mansion dripping dew. In the autumn wind of Xianyang, her carriage sped towards Mount Li.
The charioteer's whip lashed out in the air with a loud whistle.
"Smack—"
The foreman brandished his whip and roared, "Heavy rain is coming! Reinforce the dikes immediately!"
Countless laborers carried straw bags to fill the soil, building the flood control dike inch by inch.
Mount Li is characterized by its layered peaks and valleys, which run north-south. The Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor is situated at the junction of the alluvial fan and the loess plateau at the foot of Mount Li, with the terrain sloping from southeast to northwest.
During the flood season, floodwaters pour northward along the valley mouth, directly threatening the safety of the mausoleum area. In order to prevent the flood from destroying the mausoleum and to ensure the eternal existence of the First Emperor's mausoleum, the designers of the Qin Mausoleum project adopted measures to build diversion dikes and discharge floodwaters. They planned to build a flood control dike between the mausoleum and Mount Li, diverting the river that originally flowed through the mausoleum area to flow eastward around it.
They are challenging nature.
Suddenly, a long drumbeat sounded. The laborers dared not slacken their efforts, but they secretly watched the overseer until the overseer ordered them to return to camp. Only then did they unload their burdens and leave the flood control dike.
On the drum-beating platform, Lin Fengzhi watched as the laborers and convicts darted through the mountains and forests, braving the increasingly heavy rain to hurry back to their makeshift camp. Their winding tracks resembled those of ants struggling for survival, cautiously probing their way through the undergrowth.
Convicts and laborers are easy to distinguish.
Their clothes were tattered, and their bodies were thin. Although it was autumn, most of them were still dressed in thin clothing. The convicts mostly wore short, coarse brown linen tunics, the rough fabric easily chafing their skin. The laborers, though they had no specific clothing, simply draped straw ropes over themselves for fear of not being able to change their clothes if they were torn.
"This...this is even worse than our clan's situation..." Because there were officials from the Imperial Household Department present, Qi was afraid of causing trouble for Lin Fengzhi, so he only dared to mutter in a low voice.
Lin Fengzhi sighed softly to herself.
The Terracotta Army of Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum is undoubtedly the eighth wonder of the world and one of the inseparable treasures of China, but for ordinary people of that time, especially those who served in the construction of the mausoleum, it was too arduous.
Construction of Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum began at the start of his reign and lasted 38 years, at its peak employing over 700,000 people. The construction can be divided into three phases: the first phase, from the first year of Qin Shi Huang's reign to the unification of China in his 26th year, was relatively small-scale; the second phase, from the unification of China to his death and burial at Mount Li in his 37th year, was the period of large-scale construction; the third phase was the construction during the reign of Qin Er Shi (the Second Emperor of Qin).
In 219 BC, during the second phase of construction of Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum, the project entered a period of rapid progress, with the main structures such as the underground palace, the earthen mound, and the city walls already taking shape.
However, it would be impossible to say that there were no difficulties encountered during the journey.
Shao Fu Suhe rubbed his hands and gave Lin Fengzhi a brief introduction: "His Mausoleum is backed by Mount Li and bordered by the Wei River to the north. It is surrounded by mountains and water, which is naturally the best. However, there is one inconvenience: Mount Li is prone to torrential rains and flash floods, which may threaten the mausoleum area. What the divine messenger just saw was a flood control dike being built to protect the mausoleum area."
The construction of the First Emperor's mausoleum was planned and designed by Chancellor Li Si, as was customary, with the Imperial Household Department overseeing the specific construction work. Therefore, it is quite reasonable for Su He to appear at the Lishan Mausoleum.
While listening to him speak, Lin Fengzhi looked around to see what the remaining people by the flood control dike were doing.
She felt that Su Shaofu's words had a hidden meaning.
Someone stood a hundred feet away from the cloth, drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and aimed at the rammed earth before shooting.
The arrow did not penetrate the rammed earth; instead, it was pushed aside by the hard rammed earth.
Lin Fengzhi asked, "What are you doing?"
“The divine messenger may not know this, but it’s to test whether the rammed earth is solid. We always have two methods for testing. One is what the divine messenger is seeing now: after the rammed earth dries, we shoot an arrow from a hundred paces away. If the arrow doesn’t penetrate, the rammed earth is acceptable; if it does…” Su He didn’t say what the consequences would be, but it certainly wouldn’t be good: “The other method is to use an iron shovel to drill a hole in the rammed earth that was built that day every night, fill it with water, and check how much water has seeped in before starting work the next day. If the water has seeped in beyond the specified size, we have to redo it; if it has all seeped in… the consequences are the same as above.”
Lin Fengzhi: "It seems they have passed the test."
"It concerns lives, how could anyone not care?" Su He said calmly, "The flood control dike will be completed soon. However, we have encountered some difficulties in the construction of the mausoleum. I have heard that the Divine Envoy has some ingenious ideas. I wonder if we could ask the Divine Envoy for help?"
Raindrops pounded on the rammed earth, kicking up dust. Su He stroked his beard and invited Lin Fengzhi to take shelter under the car hood.
The so-called carriage canopy, also known as a carriage umbrella, has a wooden or bronze frame covered with silk, leather, or oilcloth, forming a canopy that provides shade and shelter from the rain. It already possesses the core function of an umbrella.
The space under the carriage roof was not large, and the others quietly put on raincoats and straw hats.
Lin Fengzhi looked up. The sky was covered with thick clouds, as if a heavy rain was about to fall. The brief pause was only to make this moment even more refreshing.
She reached out and caught a few drops of rain, and sincerely wanted to make paper as soon as possible.
Beyond fulfilling its promise to farmers, paper has also inspired many practical products.
"What difficulties?"
Su He smiled and said, "It's not a big problem for the Divine Envoy. It's just that they encountered hard rock when excavating the underground palace. They couldn't chisel it or burn it. The Left and Right Ministers of Works are discussing whether to go around it. I heard that the Divine Envoy has something that can split mountains and rocks. I wonder if it can be used?"
The Imperial Household Department was a large organization with a detailed division of labor among its subordinates. The Left and Right Ministers of Works mentioned in Suhekou were officials specifically responsible for managing the labor of convicts and construction projects. When they were unsure of what to do, they reported to him.
The construction of the mausoleum was a major undertaking for the Imperial Household Department. Su He had accompanied the First Emperor on his eastern tour for half a year, and upon returning to Xianyang, he immediately came to Mount Li to inspect the site. He had thought everything was going smoothly, but unexpectedly, everyone was waiting for him to make the decisions.
Generally speaking, underground palaces are moved as little as possible, and the design is never changed unless absolutely necessary.
Su He only remembered that this woman was quite capable after seeing Lin Fengzhi's car frame. After thinking it over, he decided to ask her about it.
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Author's note: *The commentary on the Terracotta Army of Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum/It may also be from the Shaanxi History Museum; the author can't tell.
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