My son, Fusu, please abdicate the first emperor!

Chapter 687 Troubled Times (Please give me monthly tickets!)
The 29th year of Emperor Qin Shihuang's reign.

Ying Zheng listened to the advice of the alchemist Xu Fu and the counselor Chen Ping, and ordered the people of the world to collect the first bunch of wheat ears from the fields that year.

This seemed like a simple matter to Ying Zheng, but it immediately caused an uproar among the people.

Even Fusu himself, who was far south of Jiujiang County, felt that the fire was too strong.

May is often the best month of the year. Vegetables have finally grown up, fruits have just ripened, and crops still need a long time to mature. This month is the best day of the year for common people.

Without the constraints of busy farming, they can sit under the tree and eat fruits and vegetables with their family, talking about ancient myths, stories of their ancestors, and who is the right person for them in the same village, such as "someone" who is still unmarried, why he is not married, and who is suitable for him...

However, since Qin Shihuang ascended the throne, this emperor has not been completely useless to the common people, except for increasing the cost of living for them.

In a sense, he provided a lot of entertainment for the people of the Qin Dynasty.

During the Shang Dynasty, the news from the palace was that King Zhou fell in love with the evil concubine Daji; during the Zhou Dynasty, the princes were either committing adultery or killing each other.

When it comes to the Qin Dynasty, if you really want to find flaws in Qin Shi Huang's character, you really can't find any.

But after all, he is an emperor without precedent and no successor.

If you don't believe me, just look at the history, whether in the past or in the future, there has never been any stupid emperor who did such a ridiculous thing as to confer the title of Fifth-Grand Official on a tree.

No one would drive a horse-drawn carriage around here and there, or erect a monument under famous mountains and rivers to write "I was here today".

Is it happy or unhappy to be governed by such a celibate emperor?

But no matter what, talking about their emperor has become commonplace.

There were also baskets of compiled ballads for the emperor.

But this time, things are different from the past.

The matter of seeking immortality was like a thunderclap. First, a large piece of white light flashed quickly in the night sky. The green and yellow lightning in the white light was as clear as the veins of tree branches in the sky. Then, thunder boomed out from the ground. Then, heavy rain began to fall all over the country.

The criticisms against Qin Shi Huang were like the big and small beads hitting the water surface, the lotus leaves, and the fishing boats in the summer rain, causing the fish in the lake to jump out of the water one by one.

Pei County——

Liu Taigong was sitting under the tree.

His son was conscripted to be an iron official, with 10,000 men under him. This was considered an honor.

For Liu Taigong, this was already a great honor for his ancestors.

However, according to the various regulations of the Qin Dynasty, it was impossible for Liu Taigong's family to follow Liu Ji to enjoy Yangcheng. Because the laws of the Qin Dynasty were originally established to combat "no punishment for doctors", in order to prevent the family from eroding the local economy, Liu Ji could not take his father over.

This is why Liu Taigong still lives in Pei County today.

Because of Liu Ji's promotion, the status of the Liu family in Pei County rose rapidly. Villagers would come to ask Liu Taigong for advice on matters they had.

"Taigong, please explain. The emperor wants each of us to offer a handful of newly ripened wheat ears from the fields. What's the logic behind this?"

Liu Taigong didn't say anything. Another young man said, "The emperor wants to seek immortality. In order to show his sincerity to the heaven, he uses this method."

"I think the current emperor is worse than a child. He is so unruly all the time. He either wants to go out of the palace to travel around, or seek immortality."

"You say, if he were immortal, would we still be able to live well?"

The hatred of the common people towards the rulers will only grow day by day.

Because the law of history is that once a dynasty is established, those in power live better and better, while the common people are exploited more and more severely.

For the common people, no matter what the original intention of Ying Zheng's tour to the east was, the people would only scold him, saying, "He wasted people's money and time" and "He was just traveling for fun."

The men gathered around Liu Taigong, wanting to listen to his advice.

The children lay in the grass catching crickets and touching loaches in the ditch.

There was a chorus of frogs in the pond and thick fog covering the mountains and swamps in the distance.

The whole world seems to be immersed in chaos, with no distinction between black and white, right and wrong, clarity and turbidity.

Liu Taigong just looked up at the gloomy sky. It was a strange sky. It was gloomy every day, neither raining nor sunny.

Anyway, I just can't give people a happy feeling.

"I'm afraid that if this matter gets out, people all over the world will talk about it and blame the current emperor."

Hearing this, everyone started to curse, "You're still blaming me? As an emperor, he's done this, and he's still going to be punished for generations to come. What's this saying? All the land under heaven belongs to the king, and all the people are his subjects. He's enjoying his good life alone, and we're all suffering for him, right?"

When the young people heard this, they all started to make a fuss.

"He still calls on everyone to be virtuous. I think he is not the ancestor dragon, but the ancestor insect."

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha--"

Liu Ji's brothers, Zhou Bo, Fan Kuai and others also responded.

Liu Taigong looked very ugly.

It was an honor for one's son to become a high-ranking official. But now that the emperor had become like this, the court was unpopular.

Liu Taigong always felt that this glory would not last long, or that this glory was not worth his happiness at all.

After all, Liu Taigong now suspected that his son had become a gang with the bandits and Qin soldiers. He had always been careless, so now he was also one of them who was waving a whip and bullying others.

There was no need to think too much about this matter. At this moment, Liu Ji was riding on the soldiers' necks, showing off his power in the mine.

On his chest hung a bright red scarf.

However, it is only natural that people in Pei County criticize Qin Shihuang's cultivation of immortals.

After all, they cannot accept that the person sitting above their heads every day does nothing but say nice things.

Putting aside the perspective of the protagonist Fusu, the real situation of the Qin Empire is that Qin Shihuang Ying Zheng was the one who promoted morality, etiquette, and advocated ethics between men and women and the order of hierarchy.

Because he is the legitimate leader of the country.

Once Fusu is the crown prince, he will be the crown prince for life.

This resulted in a complete mismatch between Ying Zheng's words and actions.

During one of his eastern tours, he made no less than seven stone carvings along the way, and from time to time he issued imperial edicts across the country. Most of the content contained educational implications, especially countless edicts aimed at cultivating the morality of the people.

Is the Pre-Qin period really so mysterious and distant?

Isn't it still the people at the top who are doing the propaganda, breaking the rules; and the people at the bottom who are standing next to the propaganda notices, also breaking the rules.

Qin Shihuang's inconsistent words and deeds caused criticism and disgust from the world, which was not what he wanted.

This is the case in Pei County, and it is the same everywhere else.

Moreover, the more culturally advanced a region is, the harsher the insults they give to Zulong are, without using a single dirty word.

For example, in the land of Qi and Lu, crosstalk has developed rapidly in recent years. Because Qin Shihuang created a series of memes, the people's moods are roughly the same, and it is extremely easy to resonate.

Needless to say, the area of ​​Jingchu was originally a place where all the nobles gathered together to eat the northwest wind. So naturally, there was only hatred for Ying Zheng, no love.

When they heard that he was seeking immortality, the nobles in the Jingchu area, who possessed knowledge and culture, naturally took the opportunity to instigate the people to follow them in cursing Qin Shihuang.

Qin Shi Huang may not be the source of the disaster, but the people needed an outlet to vent their inner hatred and pain.

Naturally, everyone pointed the finger at Ying Zheng.

Li Xin, Wang Ben, Yang Duanhe, and Yang Miao all heard about Ying Zheng's request for immortality.

Yang Miao was convinced anyway, "Oh my God! Your Majesty is crazy."

Wang Ben felt that something was wrong and wondered whether his son knew how to protect himself in Xianyang City.

But they are not the worst.

Because they only worship Ying Zheng for his power, but Li Xin is different. It is completely a worship of the personal charm of Qin Shi Huang Ying Zheng.

If there is another person who has the same status and power as Ying Zheng, or even a higher status and greater power than Ying Zheng, Li Xin will not care how much the other person can give him, he just wants to follow Ying Zheng.

He admired men like this.

But this summer, his dream was shattered.

The image of an idol that an adult has worshipped deep in his heart for more than ten years was finally shattered on this day.

Ying Zheng completely made his fanboy Li Xin give up on him.

Li Xin sat in the general's mansion, drinking alone. He refused all requests from his friends, brothers, and staff members.

Who can understand that feeling of like the sky is falling?

Li Xin once felt that there was no light in his life.

Not only that, the soldiers in the army also began to doubt what Ying Zheng was commanding them to do.

Soon, explosive news came from the Guangdong and Guangxi armies.

The soldiers in the army were talking about it for a while.

Fusu was also quite surprised. This was not something that happened in history. Someone must have encouraged Ying Zheng to do this.

But his father actually dared to believe such a ridiculous thing.

This shows his obsession with immortality.

Fusu didn't dare to imagine what Ying Zheng would do next. But at this moment, he had a strong premonition in his heart - he was going to come out!

Oh no, he is going to ascend the throne!
To realize the grand ambition and bring eternal peace!
When Zhang Liang heard the news, he was so happy that he couldn't help himself. "I think the Qin Dynasty will not be in the hands of the prince. Qin Shihuang himself will destroy the Qin Dynasty."

Zhang Liang was very happy.

But none of his followers understood him. When they asked him why, Zhang Liang just told them, "Everything must be caused by oneself. The demise of Qin was caused by the Qin people themselves. Qin Shi Huang was too proud, and only his pride could destroy Qin. I was short-sighted in the past."

Zhang Liang danced with joy, but the people around him didn't react.

They just wanted to follow Zhang Liang to make a living.

After all, it is hard to find such a smart young master in the world.

However, after learning that the Qin Empire was about to decline, Zhang Liang did not plan to leave Fusu.

Unknowingly, Zhang Liang had already become a person who assassinated for the sake of assassination.

He has a strong character and will never give up until he achieves his goal.

He was trying to sneak into the military camp and find an opportunity to assassinate Fusu.

To this end, Zhang Liang worked hard to hone his talents, intending to get close to this "hypocrite" who loved talents.

Although Fusu was far away from Xianyang, he temporarily preserved his reputation and prestige.

But crisis has always been lurking around him.

The people of Baiyue learned that Qin Shihuang's son had come to the army to cheer up their soldiers.

Planning something secretly.

This year was destined to be a turbulent time for the empire.

The empire that once had to go to other people's homes to show off its muscles and strength because it was stronger than others will certainly have to pay the price for it!
-
Having said that, although the common people may find Ying Zheng's request for immortality incredible and think that he is crazy, in the magical real world, what does it matter?

In the pre-Qin era, there was probably no definitive answer as to whether the First Emperor was the common people's entertainment or the common people were the First Emperor's entertainment.

In their lifetime, ordinary people have seen too many monsters and demons while serving their sentences, and have also seen too many joys and sorrows in the countryside.

Did Ying Zheng's absurdity cause any substantial harm to them?

not at all.

The common people would not want to fight to the death with Ying Zheng just because of this.

Moreover, sometimes they quite like Qin Shi Huang because he is quite funny.

He also has his extremely ordinary side, he will jump up and down when he is angry; he also has his selfish side, he thinks everything in the world belongs to him, he also has his despicable side, such as speaking harshly.

However, these shortcomings do not seem to be a big deal to ordinary people.

On the contrary, some people think that Qin Shi Huang is quite real.

And apart from the fact that he always likes to boast about his virtues, which makes people disgusted, his virtues are indeed much better than those of previous kings.

Everyone just treats this as a form of fun, and when they have nothing to do, they make up jokes or sing songs to relieve boredom.

Until the wheat is really ripe.

The generals of Qin began to formally carry out the order, and the order was passed down layer by layer.

The first wave of ripe wheat ears must be collected throughout the country.

Arranging the wheat for Ying Zheng to cultivate for his quest for immortality while the common people were busy harvesting in autumn would inevitably arouse people's hatred towards him.

In order to exert the power of this matter, Chen Ping encouraged the court to make very fine and expensive boxes, as well as countless lacquered wooden pallets, waiting for the grain to arrive and then loading it for the sacrifice to heaven.

However, in this world where makeshift teams fight each other, these things will never end so easily.

The governor of Dongjun issued an order, but by the time it reached the county, its original meaning had been lost.

On the first day, "Everyone, come up and harvest the golden wheat."

The next day, the county governor issued an order, "Harvest the wheat that is between green and yellow."

On the third day, the county governor gave an order, "Move quickly and harvest the green wheat."

When the news reached the countryside, the relatives of the powerful officials in the countryside began to make plans.

"Each household shall pay five stones of grain."

The countryside has never been a secluded place to rest and recuperate. It is a place where the emperor is far away and evil spirits are rampant.

Each county is more outrageous than the other, and each township is more loose and lazy than the other.

The makeshift team is made up of hundreds of counties across the country.

The bureaucrats' relatives are busy filling their own pockets. It is not the first or second time that the bureaucrats have been implicated. They curse and wipe their butts while smilingly sharing the spoils with them.

When his pockets were full, he ordered the clerks to come forward, grab a handful of green and yellow wheat, put it into the box, and deal with the matter perfunctorily.

The emperor has no control over them, they are the boss.

They are in charge of the common people and they are also the bosses.

Horizontal banner: They are the law, they are the sky!
Then find an educated young person to write a congratulatory message and send it over honestly.

At the end of the Qin Dynasty, the biggest problem was that governance at the grassroots level - in counties and townships - was completely disorganized.

Of course, some local officials were more conscientious. They prepared more than a dozen boxes of wheat ears for Ying Zheng and sent them to Xianyang City after a long journey.

In the early autumn of that year, all the people in the Qin Dynasty were busy and spent several days just to fulfill his wish of seeking immortality.

But the place where everyone lives is the place named by Ying Zheng himself - "China".

Everyone obeyed the orders honestly and in a methodical manner, and carried them out. They would occasionally bend the orders, but they just obeyed the orders.

This is the truest side of the Qin Empire.

It's not as dark, but it's definitely not as good either.

You do whatever the emperor tells you to do.

From top to bottom, those invisible and intangible things are transmitted layer by layer.

An invisible and colorless thing has been weighing on people's heads from the past to the present.

that power.

Is it a panacea that helps mankind progress, or a poison that leads to alienation?
This huge storm continued to torment the people during the summer and autumn of that year.

People, fed up!

Finally got fed up!
His shoulders were bleeding from the rope, his children were sick and had no money to see a doctor, and even after his parents died, he still had to rush to harvest the wheat.

In this era of extremely low productivity, if the heavy rains come a little later, the whole year's harvest will be gone, and the family will fall into famine.

But at this time, Ying Zheng ordered them to collect wheat for him.

He wants to seek immortality and rule this continent forever.

People began to hate him!
The small whirlwind of Qin Shihuang's cultivation of immortals once blew to the Guangdong and Guangxi areas, but now, the newly settled Guangdong and Guangxi areas - Minzhong County, are also facing the hurricane from Xianyang City.

Fusu was supervising the army here, so he naturally received the news of collecting wheat ears.

Fusu was listening to the generals deploying the troops. They planned to reorganize the 37 scattered armies into 10.

"First, the army was too scattered, which was not conducive to management. Sometimes it took three days to convey an order."

"Secondly, the army is assembled, and the soldiers' lives will be easier. Otherwise, they would have to face a life of constant patrols."

"..."

"The soldiers had a very hard life near the South China Sea. If they were not careful, they would run into thorns and pierce their feet. Many people died of diarrhea due to the unfamiliar climate and water."

People in the north have survived the hot summer and welcomed the cool autumn.

But people in the South still have to go through countless heat waves.

Listening to the report, every general's face looked terribly gloomy.

This is probably why generals are always so majestic.

They are always faced with the cruel dilemma of life and death. One decision can lead to countless lives, and one decision can lead to countless deaths.

They are always facing the cruelest side of the world, and that face is becoming more and more indifferent.

All the joy and laughter began to fade.

At this time, Ying Zheng's edict came, and he also asked the army to be responsible for transportation, which naturally aroused people's
"In autumn, let everyone hand in a handful of newly ripened wheat ears from the fields. In winter, should everyone collect the first snowflakes, in spring, pull out the first grass, and in summer, catch the first wave of cicadas?"

Upon hearing this, all the generals looked at Liao.

Liao, who had just returned from Xianyang, saw more things in Xianyang city.

He now regrets very much that he should not have helped Qin Shi Huang in the first place.

Now, the Qin Empire, from inside to outside, from top to bottom, has begun to be dissatisfied with Ying Zheng.

When Fusu heard Liao say this, he understood that the time was ripe.

(End of this chapter)