socalfunplaces Chapter 238 Summary and Decision
Chapter 238 Summary and Decision
Hearing these words, "Young Master" - this title made him feel solemn, and he realized that he was in the political center of the ancient empire. He heard that a family in a Qin family structure usually required two members to serve all year round. The land they cultivated did not exceed one hundred acres, and the grain they harvested in a year was only a few hundred stones, and there was no real holiday in any of the four seasons. There was no peace in spring, no escape from the heat in summer, troubled by rain in autumn, and severe cold in winter. This is the daily life of farmers - under such hard work, the annual income is only enough to get about 4,500 coins. After deducting most of the taxes and daily expenses, not only is there no surplus, but they have to borrow to survive. Such a life is really miserable.
"Young Master", this reminded him of the fact that he had lived in another era of prosperity, but now he was experiencing unprecedented hardships. Fusu remained silent and listened carefully to Feng Jie's story. The latter talked about the human resources needed to build royal buildings: every time a palace or mausoleum was built, more than 100,000 people were recruited to transport stones from the mountains and cut wood at the foot of the mountains. The Great Wall on the border and the roads that extended in all directions also had to be repaired and built by humans, which consumed a huge amount of wealth, far beyond imagination.
However, the idea that had already formed in his mind made him decide to temporarily put some construction projects on hold - the Afang Palace could be temporarily shelved until a better time to build it. After all, construction projects such as palaces are always attractive, not to mention the legendary miracles. As for the mausoleum project, it has been basically completed, and the external construction can be simpler. Anyway, political authority does not need to be displayed through the tomb, as long as it is not opened again. As for the Great Wall defense, although building roads to get rich is his goal, in this era of low productivity, large-scale road repairs have not played a big practical role, so they can be slightly reduced. At the same time, the issue of the Chidao is also worth thinking about. Although roads can indeed bring economic benefits, it seems that building such a wide dirt road does not have much practical benefits at present, and the scale can be reduced a little. He quickly calculated, and then looked at the family who had been staring at him - the head of the Feng family and the eldest son of the Feng family - and put forward his own suggestions.
Hearing this, Feng Jie's eyes gradually lit up, revealing an extremely enthusiastic joy, and then he stood up and bowed to the ground. "Sir, you are simply a prophet. It is indeed a great blessing for the people of the world to have such an outstanding person as you as a member of the Great Qin State."
At this time, Feng Quji added: "Perhaps even the prophets and sages are far from being able to compare with your wisdom, young master." He expressed his praise for Fusu.
Fusu thanked the Feng family: "Your praise is too much." After a moment, he asked again: "Regarding the position of Left Prime Minister, who do you think is suitable?"
"Well...that eunuch...this kind of thing..." After hesitating for a while, Feng Quji looked up at the serving official in the shed.
"Back off!" Fusu waved his hand and said, "No one can get within 10 steps of the shed!"
"Yes!"
After the remaining courtiers left, Fusu bowed deeply to Feng Quji and said, "Please feel free to speak!"
"I have no prejudice against the position of eunuch, I just want to give you some advice. The current Langzhong Ling is my cousin Meng Yi, he has taken over the palace affairs... Most of the palace guards are under his command..." Feng Quji spoke slowly, then stopped talking and lowered his eyes.
Langzhongling, one of the Nine Ministers, was responsible for palace discussions, receiving guests, and listening to reports on affairs. He was also responsible for the palace's security... security! In other words, most of the palace guards were commanded by Meng Yi... What if Meng Tian, the Duke of Changping, was appointed as the left? No wonder Feng Quji made this point vaguely... After thinking for a while, Fusu asked, "Then how should the merits be rewarded?"
"I think that Duke Changping Meng Tian should be granted the title of Guannei Marquis and given an additional fief of 2,000 households, and concurrently serve as Grand Coachman!" Feng Quji looked at Fusu and continued, "As for the position of Zuo, I suggest that Your Majesty consider Wei Liao... He is the Grand Commandant and the military leader of Qin."
Taipu is like a combination of the Minister of Transportation and the Emperor's coachman. For example, Xiahou Ying, an excellent driver in history, also had this title. But would it be appropriate to let Duke Changping take on such a position? Well, at this stage, Taipu is not only responsible for the construction of palaces and roads, but Duke Changping has supervised the construction of the Great Wall and roads, so it can be said that he has certain experience. Although the title of Guannei Hou cannot be inherited, Meng Tian is only fifty years old and has many possibilities for promotion! He was granted a fief of 2,000 households, which is close to the high-level Chehou fiefdom. This is considered to be part of the reward I promised at the beginning... Fusu nodded and asked:
"Then who should fill the position of Grand Commandant?"
He had no objection to Wei Liao taking over Zuo's position because he was the famous author of "Wei Liaozi".
"Sir, do you still remember the man named Qiang Lan?" Feng Quji asked a question.
"Qiang La? The man who fought against the deceased Wuchang Marquis Zhao Guo was called Qiang La?" Fusu frowned. "Is this old general still eating well?"
Feng Quji laughed and replied, "He is not a warrior who can eat a bushel of meat or swallow ten kilograms of fat. But he is physically strong and more active than me!"
After replacing the 67-year-old Li Si, he brought in Wei Liao and Qiang Lan, who were of similar age. It would take a long time for the Qin Dynasty's senior management to become younger. Fusu sighed inwardly, then nodded slightly:
"Please leave the running of the cabinet to me!"
"Please be at ease!"
The two men completed the formalities, and then Feng Jie helped his father leave.
The sun was setting, and Fusu sat at the table for a long time without saying a word. With just a few words, Feng Quji arranged the entire situation smoothly: not only would Meng Tian be unable to reach the position of prime minister, but even the position of grand marshal would be replaced by the generals of Wang Jian's time.
Although the military power of the Qin Dynasty was actually in the hands of the First Emperor, most of the Taiwei among the Three Dukes were just formal roles and were not important. However, as one of the Three Dukes of the court, the weight of Taiwei's words at the court meeting cannot be underestimated. Alas, I still lack a stable power group around me, and I don't know what my eldest son Fusu has been thinking all these years. He has not been able to train reliable subordinates, leaving me to fight alone among the ministers and the Meng family, Wang family, Feng family, and the remaining old country nobles in Shandong! I am walking on a tightrope between the court and the country! In history, the First Emperor kept touring the country, just to deter the world and maintain his authority. Even when Hu Hai succeeded to the throne later, he immediately started a grand tour. It turned out that the career of a monarch is extremely difficult all the way... Fusu was thinking with a complicated expression on his face about how to build a team loyal to his duties and control the situation in the court.
Well, when I return to Xianyang, I will send some action teams to recruit those top strategic talents, such as Han Xin, Ji Bu, Li Shang, Xiao He... For the upcoming great unified dynasty, the more top strategists the better! However, these people have not yet gained enough fame and social status, and it is impossible for them to occupy high positions in a short period of time. Let's reconnect with them through Shusun Tong, the leader of Confucianism. The Confucian power during this period still has certain potential...
Taking this into consideration, Fusu stood up and stretched his legs, which had become blocked from kneeling for so long.
"Sir, the doctoral student Shusun Tong has brought a memorial for you to review." A man holding a tray with something in his hand entered from outside the shed.
This man is called Li Cheng, a minister, in charge of accompanying the emperor on his trips, with a salary of 400 dan. He is the younger cousin of Li Xin, the governor of Longxi County... After Li Xin failed to attack the State of Chu, he was stripped of his official position and appointed as the governor of the county... A series of relevant information flashed through Fusu's mind, and then he looked at the large bundle of bamboo slips on the plate. Hey, this guy is really generous! That bundle of things is at least half a bag, but I have completed my quota of twelve bags today, right? This is clearly me working overtime! Who does this! Fusu muttered to himself, then picked up the bamboo slips and read them in the light of the setting sun.
"Human filial piety lies in inheriting virtues. Authority in key matters, core affairs of the country and the army need to be passed on continuously without any omissions... The emperor should start with a cycle of handling government affairs every three days, hold a small ceremony in the mourning ceremony after thirteen days, and hold a large mourning ceremony after twenty-five days. It will take twenty-seven days before returning to normal clothing..." After reading this memorial.
Fusu concluded that the situation of Confucianism has obviously not improved much in recent years.
In such a short period of time, Shusun Tong was able to conceive a large bundle of detailed plans and policy proposals based on just a few fabricated ideas.
It looks like Confucianism is trying hard to seize this opportunity!
In this case... Fusu handed the memorial to the official in charge of circulation: "This memorial should be circulated to the prime minister and other ministers."
"Yes, sir!" Li Cheng took a few steps back, turned around and left.
"Sir, the prepared convoy is waiting for you." Yang Xi, who had recently taken up the position of the Minister of the Imperial Chariots, walked over.
Could this be Yang Xi, who once frightened Xiang Yu so much that his troops fled for miles, and later rescued Xiang Yu in the Battle of Gaixia and became famous? It is said that his descendants once had a person named Yang Xiu, and later there was a person like Yang Jian... And the most famous people in this family now are probably Yang Duan, the guard of the palace army, and Yang Xiong, the general of the Tiger Guards, right?
Fusu raised his head slightly and looked at it carefully: "Very good."
Just as he expected, Shusun Tong's memorial triggered a heated discussion in the court. When Deputy Prime Minister Feng Quji clearly expressed his agreement, the proposal in the memorial was quickly recorded and established as a permanent rule.
Therefore, in the following days, bells rang and drums sounded in the palace. Fusu, wearing sacrificial clothes and a ceremonial cap, knelt under the emperor's seat, closed his eyes and recalled the scene of Qin Shihuang playing hide-and-seek with Jing Ke here, and waited for the arrival of the prince's enthronement ceremony.
Imperial Censor Feng Jie held a piece of cloth and slowly unfolded it: "Imperial Decree: This king's eldest son Fusu will inherit the government and strictly abide by the laws and regulations of Qin. He inspires the soldiers with his tenacious perseverance and heroic spirit, and is honest and trustworthy to the people. None of the princes have been able to reach his excellence. He can be regarded as the first choice for succession... After my death, please ask the left and right prime ministers to pay homage to the officials of various departments and support him as the crown prince. After the mourning period is over, he will immediately take the throne and become the second emperor..."