Chapter Forty: Bones in the Canal

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When everyone saw that General Zhang Han had arrived, they hurriedly made way for him.

A soldier in armor came striding over and saluted. “General, there is something in the shaft.”

Without a word, Zhang Han descended the vertical shaft by ladder. He had the air of someone determined to destroy whatever lay below, whatever it might be. What manner of thing could possibly be trying to obstruct Great Qin’s construction of the canal?

At the bottom of the shaft, he found quite a number of armored soldiers already there.

Zhang Han nodded inwardly. The men under his command were all capable and efficient. He looked in the direction of the underground channel and was about to enter the pitch-black passage when soil mixed with snow came cascading down from above.

Looking up, Zhang Han saw Shu Sun Tong descending the ladder. He hurried forward to help him. When he glanced upward again, he saw that the snowfall had grown heavier, dense flakes nearly obscuring the mouth of the shaft.

Once Shu Sun Tong had reached the bottom, Zhang Han no longer looked up.

“I heard that something happened in the underground channel, so I came to take a look.”

Zhang Han inclined his head slightly. Irritated, he pushed aside the oil lamp a soldier offered him, finding its light insufficient, and lit a torch instead. Then he set off into the underground channel, leading the way.

Shu Sun Tong followed directly behind him. In truth, oil lamps had been lit along the passage, and it was quite well illuminated.

Zhang Han shifted the torch to his other hand. The underground channel was now roughly thirty zhang deep, and the laborers had been using the oil lamps and their shadows to determine the direction in which they were digging.

It was impossible to tell whether they had walked for the better part of a quarter hour or nearly half an hour.

Shu Sun Tong estimated the distance according to his own pace. Then he saw Zhang Han come to a halt.

The underground channel had reached its end. Shu Sun Tong saw Zhang Han holding up the torch and examining the rock wall from top to bottom, as though searching for something.

Since Zhang Han was exceptionally tall, Shu Sun Tong, already a short man, turned sideways and squeezed toward the other side. Only then could he finally see the scene clearly.

There appeared to be a pattern on the rock wall, its color distinctly different from that of the surrounding stone.

Though no one knew what it was, it was clear that a skeleton was embedded in the rock wall, extending all the way to the other side.

When Zhang Han brought the torch closer and brushed away some loose stones and mud, the sight before them became clearer. It was a skull nearly five feet wide.

One had to understand that even a normal man’s waist was no more than four feet across.

They did not know how long the creature had been, nor had they seen the whole of it. Yet the sheer breadth of the skull alone was enough to reveal what an enormous beast lay before them.

Zhang Han led Shu Sun Tong and the soldiers out of the shaft, and they returned to the surface.

“General,” someone said, “we shall report this to Xianyang at once.”

The moment the words left his mouth, Zhang Han looked toward Shu Sun Tong almost instinctively.

Though the two men were far from being on good terms, they had worked together for so long that Zhang Han actually admired Shu Sun Tong’s abilities. He disliked the old man’s mischievous, childish temperament, certainly, but otherwise, how could Jingye County have remained so orderly? It was all because this old rascal managed everything from top to bottom.

Shu Sun Tong, whose hair and beard had turned mostly white, slowly shook his head.

Zhang Han’s heart tightened. It was impossible to say what they had unearthed, or whether it was an omen of good fortune or disaster. But if someone with ulterior motives took advantage of the matter, could it harm Prince Fusu and the First Emperor?

That remained to be seen.

Shu Sun Tong’s shake of the head brought Zhang Han abruptly to his senses. He was a general who had studied the military classics since childhood and knew the wars of the various kingdoms well. At that moment, he understood even more clearly that they absolutely could not allow themselves to be led by others. They had to respond calmly.

Yet in the instant after considering the matter, Zhang Han swiftly reached out and seized the back of the other man’s collar.

The man who had intended to report to Xianyang had barely taken a step when a powerful force pulled him back. Turning around, he saw General Zhang Han standing there with a grim expression.

After surveying those around him, Zhang Han said, “No one here, nor anyone who knows of this matter, is permitted to leave.”

With that, Zhang Han’s soldiers took the people around the shaft into custody, sealing off the news before anything else could happen.

“You have my thanks for making the journey, Master.”

Hearing Zhang Han put it that way, Shu Sun Tong had no choice but to climb into a donkey cart and set out for Xianyang ahead of him.

The snow grew heavier and heavier. After traveling for half a day, Shu Sun Tong finally reached the walls of Xianyang. Relying on his status as a learned scholar invited into Qin, he was admitted into the city.

There were few pedestrians in Xianyang at that hour. Most people were sheltering from the snow, leaving the broad streets deserted.

Shu Sun Tong walked quickly, his wide sleeves swinging back and forth as he went.

As he walked, he arrived at the gate of Chancellor Li Si’s residence. Not far away stood the gate of Xianyang Palace. He paused there for a moment, lost in thought.

After weighing the matter again and again, Shu Sun Tong still could not decide whether to inform Prince Fusu first or Chancellor Li Si.

He paced back and forth with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression troubled. Heavy snow continued to settle on him, but he merely pressed his lips together and said nothing.

After lingering there for roughly a quarter hour, Shu Sun Tong finally decided to go and see the prince. He would let the prince learn of the matter first. If someone else informed the people of Xianyang before he did, Prince Fusu and the continued excavation of the Jingye Canal would be placed in an extremely passive position.

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He feared that someone might exploit the matter and claim that it was an ill omen.

Shu Sun Tong was just about to move forward. He had taken only two steps when he heard the creaking friction of a heavy wooden door opening.

He stopped on his way toward Xianyang Palace and glanced to the side. The gate of Chancellor Li Si’s residence had opened.

What extraordinary timing.

Inside the chancellor’s residence, Li Si was frowning at the three scrolls before him. He had always possessed considerable skill in calligraphy and believed himself well versed in the art of elegant handwriting.

Yet now, as he studied the documents from Zhangtai Palace, he had fallen into deep thought.

Of the three scrolls before him, one had just been sent from Zhangtai Palace, another had come from Prince Fusu’s Gaoquan Palace, and the third bore the First Emperor’s earlier annotations.

Comparing the three, Li Si felt that if his judgment was correct, then a clear and momentous fact emerged from comparing the handwriting on each scroll.

He had never imagined that Prince Fusu could have grown so rapidly over the past few years.

Li Si stroked his beard and nodded, becoming increasingly certain of his conclusion.

“Chancellor, Shu Sun Tong requests an audience.”

Li Si recalled that Shu Sun Tong was overseeing the canals and private holdings on Prince Fusu’s behalf. He said, “Invite him in.”

The heavy snow continued to fall over Xianyang. Shu Sun Tong remained in the chancellor’s residence for half an hour. Afterward, he hurried out of the city.

Another half hour passed before the chancellor also left his residence and made his way to Xianyang Palace.

In Zhangtai Palace, Fusu was writing documents while his father sat in the place of honor, eating noodles. He chewed thoughtfully, decided that one bowl was not enough, and added another.

A guard stood before the hall and announced in a clear voice, “The chancellor requests an audience.”

Ying Zheng raised his head and glanced at the snowy world outside the hall.

The First Emperor merely looked outside, then continued eating his noodles and gave a slight nod.

Li Si promptly entered the hall and bowed. “Greetings, Your Majesty. Greetings, Prince.”

When he saw that the Emperor was eating noodles while the prince was reviewing documents, Li Si was greatly astonished. The sight also confirmed his earlier suspicion.

Seeing that the prince was still occupied with the documents, Li Si bowed again and said, “Your Majesty, Prince, General Zhang Han has unearthed an enormous skull while excavating the Jingye Canal.”

At those words, Ying Zheng’s chewing slowed.

Fusu lifted his brush, and his writing paused slightly.

Li Si continued, “I have ordered General Zhang Han to excavate it and bring it to Zhangtai Palace.”

Ying Zheng still held his bowl and chopsticks. In an even tone, he said, “Give him noodles.”

Li Si bowed once more. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Within Zhangtai Palace, Li Si sat to one side eating the bowl of noodles bestowed upon him by the Emperor. Having finished his own meal, the Emperor sat upright with one hand supporting his temple, his eyes closed in quiet rest, while Prince Fusu continued to concentrate on reviewing the documents.

Everything remained calm and ordinary.

It was as though the wind, snow, and uproar outside could not affect the hall in the slightest.

At that moment, most of the people in Jingye County were holding torches and standing in the wind and snow.

By the time Shu Sun Tong returned, night had fallen. Zhang Han still had his soldiers surrounding the area. The laborers who had worked in the shaft and the underground channel had all been kept there.

Fortunately, the canal works had been organized by shaft teams, with the same laborers assigned to each shaft. This made them much easier to control.

Now that Shu Sun Tong had returned from Xianyang, Zhang Han still had the area sealed off.

“General Zhang Han.” Shu Sun Tong hurried over and asked, “Has anyone left?”

Zhang Han looked back at the laborers gathered together and shook his head. “No one.”

“Good.” Shu Sun Tong nodded first, then exhaled twice. “Dig. Excavate it first and present it to Zhangtai Palace.”

Zhang Han beckoned a deputy general over and gave him several instructions. A squad of soldiers then led a group of laborers down into the shaft.

He also called out loudly, “Each man is to receive a bowl of ginger soup to ward off the cold, and an additional five bushels of grain.”

Once they had descended into the shaft, they saw that Shu Sun Tong had come down as well.

“Master, you should go and rest,” Zhang Han said.

Shu Sun Tong watched anxiously as the torchlight flickered deep within the underground channel. Then he said, “I shall sleep here after all. It is warmer in the channel.”

Zhang Han nodded. He too entered the passage and joined the laborers in chiseling the entire section of rock wall free.

The wind and snow did not cease until the following morning. When daylight had fully arrived, laborers coming to Jingye County saw slabs of material being hauled up from the shaft connected to the underground channel, resembling pieces of stone.

They stood too far away to see clearly. Once loaded onto carts, the pieces were covered with black cloth.

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From the previous night until noon, they finally finished clearing the skeleton from the rock layer.

Zhang Han inspected the site several times. After confirming that no trace of further bones remained in the rock, he dug several feet deeper to make certain before finally stopping.

This time, however, the people of Jingye County did not need to transport the remains to Xianyang themselves. Xianyang Palace had dispatched soldiers and horses to collect the bones.

The snow had stopped, but the wind remained fierce, making Shu Sun Tong’s long robe crack and billow.

Seeing the worry on Shu Sun Tong’s face, Zhang Han said in a deep voice, “Rest assured. Before this, no one knew of the matter.”

Now that troops from Xianyang Palace had arrived, the news would certainly spread. Still, Chancellor Li Si had been informed beforehand, and Prince Fusu and the First Emperor should already know of it as well.

Shu Sun Tong raised his head toward Xianyang and said, “In the future, this old man had better visit Xianyang less often.”

Seeing that Zhang Han was still standing nearby in silence, Shu Sun Tong felt even more dispirited. He then added, “Give every laborer who worked on the canal an additional bushel of rice. Tell them that we unearthed something good and that it is cause for celebration.”

Zhang Han asked in puzzlement, “Why do that?”

“It will be useful. I have been to Xianyang and met with the chancellor. General Zhang Han, do not panic.”

Zhang Han exhaled heavily through his nose, only half convinced.

After the court conference ended that day, the several carts sent from Jingye County were finally transported into Xianyang Palace.

The civil and military officials had all withdrawn, each returning to his own affairs.

The wind and snow had only just ceased, but Great Qin was as busy as ever.

Most people had seen the five carts covered with black cloth. For now, none of the officials knew what the carts contained.

But as long as they asked around and combined what they had witnessed in Jingye County the previous night with the rumors circulating among the people, they would eventually find out.

At that moment, five carts stood beneath the steps before Zhangtai Palace. They were filled with various pieces of stone.

Ying Zheng frowned silently as he looked at the bones embedded in the rock.

Fusu knew that these were fossils. More than eighty years later, during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, the excavation of a canal had unearthed what people called dragon bones. It seemed that such things could be found now as well.

Thinking of this, Fusu felt relieved. Indeed, only eighty years separated the two events. That was not a particularly long time.

Compared with the ancient ages represented by the earth and its strata, a few decades were nothing.

Leaving aside whether the dragon bones recorded in the histories of Emperor Wu of Han had truly been dragon bones, Fusu himself could not determine whether the fossils before him belonged to dinosaurs.

Among the five carts of fossils, the clearest specimen was a gigantic skull. Yet even that skull was only half complete, and no one knew what the entire creature had looked like.

From the standpoint of more rigorous paleontological identification, Fusu was more inclined to believe that it belonged to some enormous prehistoric creature, perhaps a Yellow River saber-toothed elephant or another ancient elephant.

Of course, judging from what lay before them, apart from half a skull, the remaining fossils were broken into countless fragments. Reconstructing them would be easier said than done.

Fusu turned his gaze toward Chancellor Li Si, who was equally curious.

Li Si held up a piece of fossil in his hands and examined it closely.

“What does Teacher think this is?”

“I…”

At the prince’s question, Li Si first glanced at the First Emperor, his expression conflicted. For a moment, the chancellor of Great Qin found himself unable to answer.

Fusu walked to his side and lowered his voice. “Chancellor, are we still going to dig this canal?”

Li Si asked in return, “What do you mean, Prince?”

Fusu raised his head and looked at the carts of scattered fossils before them. Then he said, “If someone claims that the canal works must stop because of these things, what will you do, Chancellor?”

Li Si was an exceptionally perceptive holder of power and a master of political affairs, acutely sensitive to the currents of the age. How could he fail to understand the prince’s meaning?

If the canal works were halted because of these bones, then not only would three years of effort be wasted, but the matter could also affect the prince and the First Emperor.

Moreover, the scholars from the former Six Kingdoms who had entered Qin were already causing trouble in every possible way. Would they not seize this opportunity to denounce the First Emperor and Prince Fusu at length?

And besides, the Great Wall was currently being built in the north to defend against the Xiongnu, while a great army was campaigning in the south.

It was said that the prince had been gifted with extraordinary intelligence from childhood, and that within only two years of becoming involved in state affairs, he had already been able to assist the First Emperor in managing the realm. How could a man like Fusu fail to understand the stakes?

“Chancellor, are we still going to dig this canal?”