Chapter Forty-One: Daggers Drawn

Ying Zheng examined the fossils, a trace of melancholy flickering in his eyes.

Li Si, standing before Crown Prince Fusu and the First Emperor, bowed and pondered how to respond. Another gust of cold wind swept through the Zhangtai Palace, and the First Emperor murmured, "Even such a gargantuan beast must perish."

Fusu replied, "Father, no matter how formidable a beast may be, there comes a day when it turns to dust."

Ying Zheng picked up a stone fragment; a white patch embedded within was part of the fossil, its skeletal structure incomplete. He squeezed it hard, and the white fossil crumbled into fine powder, drifting away in wisps.

The Emperor’s spirits were low, seemingly weighed down by these relics. Li Si, standing to the side, caught the Crown Prince’s gaze and understood his cue. "Your Majesty," Li Si said, "please allow me to withdraw. Once I have consulted the ancient archives, I shall certainly be able to identify what manner of giant beast this was."

Ying Zheng nodded slowly. Before leaving, Li Si cast a glance at Fusu’s expression, his heart filled with unease.

Ying Zheng continued to stare at the fossils. The dust from the crushed stone, stirred by the wind, dispersed into the air and settled on the ground, becoming nearly impossible for the naked eye to discern.

Ying Zheng turned to his son and said in a low voice, "I have heard that there are divine turtles in the lands beyond the seas, living for thousands of years, immense in size."

Fusu replied, "Even if it lives for a thousand years, it is merely a beast, not a man."

Hearing this, Ying Zheng looked surprised. He asked in a deep voice, "How do you think Li Si will handle this?"

The half-complete skull, which Fusu found most intriguing, drew his attention. He beckoned to Tian An. Tian An hurried over and bowed. "Your Highness."

Fusu stood straight, shifting his gaze from the rock wall. "What is the situation at Jingye County now?"

"It is said that the canal excavation has halted; the laborers from every county are awaiting word from Xianyang." Tian An paused, then added, "Shusun Tong met with the Chancellor before the Chancellor came to Zhangtai Palace. Shusun Tong has rewarded every laborer with an extra dou of grain."

"Why the reward?" Fusu asked.

Tian An replied, "He claimed it was because of a joyous event."

Hearing this, Ying Zheng murmured, "Is this Shusun Tong one of the scholars who joined Qin?"

"Father is correct; he is indeed one of the six-state scholars who submitted to Qin."

"A joyous event?" Ying Zheng suddenly smiled. "Bestow three hundred gold coins upon Shusun Tong." An attendant was immediately dispatched to deliver the gold.

Fusu also considered this a joyous event. The canal had to be built; regardless of what creature these bones belonged to, it could not hinder the progress of the work. After three years of immense human effort, those endeavors could not be allowed to come to naught, especially when the people had just begun to reap the rewards of the excavation. With ten thousand hectares of fertile land within reach, capable of supporting hundreds of thousands of people in the Guanzhong region, one could not speak of giving up lightly.

Fusu added, "From now on, Shusun Tong shall be a guest of my Gaoquan Palace. If he comes to Xianyang, reserve one room for him in the old residence of the Chancellor’s mansion. For now, he is the only one."

Tian An nodded and signaled an attendant to convey the order. In a single moment, both the First Emperor and the Crown Prince had bestowed favors upon Shusun Tong. Tian An bowed, watching the Emperor and the Prince standing on the steps of the Zhangtai Palace. They were father and son, after all; while a Chancellor like Li Si was ultimately just a subject—one to be utilized to the fullest extent.

Before long, an attendant hurried over. "Your Majesty, the Chancellor says to leave the remains before the Zhangtai Palace; at tomorrow’s court session, there will be those who can identify them."

Ying Zheng nodded slowly and walked back into the Zhangtai Palace.

Tian An stepped forward. "Does Your Highness have any further instructions?"

"Tell them to continue digging the canal."

"I shall send word at once."

At the Office of the Censor, Feng Quji had recently noticed that the handwriting on many documents differed from the past, yet every policy proposed was written with great distinctness. For example, during the relocation of the populace, he had reorganized people by scattering various clans and those from the former six states.

It was rare to see Zhang Cang visit the Censor’s Office. Feng Quji smiled. "What brings you here in your leisure?"

Zhang Cang bowed. "The Chancellor went to see His Majesty and the Crown Prince today, so I have a moment to collect some files."

Feng Quji handed him a scroll. "This one happens to be about the relocation policy you and the Chancellor are overseeing."

Zhang Cang accepted the scroll, took a glance, and then scanned the shelves for the files he needed. "Relocation requires land," he replied.

"That is natural," said Feng Quji.

"Exactly. The Chancellor’s policy of relocating people to garrison the borders provides them with more land than they had in their old homes. The canal project the Crown Prince is leading also provides land. Once the Jingye Canal is completed, it will open up vast stretches of fertile soil—ten thousand hectares waiting to be tilled."

Zhang Cang paused, then added, "If the relocated people need to trade for land, where else can one increase the acreage?"

Where could one increase the amount of arable land? Zhang Cang’s words poured a bucket of cold water over Feng Quji.

"Land is still available..." Zhang Cang’s tone shifted, and he smiled. "The Crown Prince often writes to me recently, seeking my counsel."

"And?"

"The Crown Prince asks about matters in the West, saying that the wars between the states of old always developed and expanded horizontally across the map."

Feng Quji pondered for a moment and nodded. "That is true."

Zhang Cang picked up a bamboo slip. "The Crown Prince believes the opportunity lies in the West. In the future, there may be an even larger scale of relocation to garrison those frontiers."

Before Feng Quji could respond, Zhang Cang said calmly, "In a few decades, perhaps."

"As the Crown Prince’s teacher, do you speak to him of things decades away?"

"Heh..." Zhang Cang shook his head, smiling. "Does the Right Chancellor underestimate the Crown Prince?"

Feng Quji grew increasingly puzzled and somewhat unconvinced. "What do you mean?"

Zhang Cang replied, "How could the Crown Prince’s vision be so limited? What he cares about extends far beyond the affairs of a few decades."

Having said this, Zhang Cang took his files and added, "I must go see the Crown Prince today, so I shall take my leave."

After he left, the Censor Cheng Miao brought in some bamboo slips sent from outside. Feng Quji looked at Cheng Miao busy at work and surveyed the Office of the Censor, filled with mediocrities. He felt a sudden, inexplicable sense of powerlessness.

The next day, as the eastern sky began to pale, a fierce cold wind raged through Xianyang. Winter was approaching, and this year’s winds were stronger and lasted longer than in previous years.

Li Si could no longer recall how many years it had been since he first entered Qin. After dressing, he asked, "For today’s court session, is anyone claiming illness to avoid attending?"

The old servant at the door replied, "Reporting to the Chancellor, I have sent men to inquire; those who should come will be there."

Outside the room, the old servant ordered the other servants to sweep the courtyard. He bent his aged back and walked a few steps when the door opened, and the Chancellor stepped out quickly. In the eyes of the many servants, the Chancellor should have been worried about his son leading troops in Shu; perhaps he had already marched south with the main army. Yet, the Chancellor never asked about him, speaking only of state affairs. The Chancellor was not without personal ambition; otherwise, he would not keep placing his son in key positions. Li You was merely reorganizing troops in Shu and was not on the roster for the southern expedition. If the campaign succeeded, Li You would receive honors; if it failed, it would have nothing to do with him. Over these many years, the Chancellor had been training his son while simultaneously shielding him. Recently, the Chancellor had developed a taste for noodles; it was said the Emperor had bestowed them upon him yesterday, and he had eaten a bowl again before heading to the morning court.

As the morning light touched the eaves of the Xianyang Palace, the officials of Great Qin arrived, making their way toward the Zhangtai Palace. Their court robes were black, with only a few sporting colored knots on their belts. The Zhangtai Palace stood firm in its place. The ministers walked in silence, save for a few whispering softly. Walking through the palace gates was like stepping into another world; the architecture was magnificent, and it was so quiet that only their own footsteps could be heard.

The person at the front suddenly stopped, and those behind followed suit. The sea of officials stopped in confusion, wondering what had happened.

In front of the normally open Zhangtai Palace, a platform had been erected, upon which sat various stones, large and small. Cheng Miao, filled with curiosity, asked, "What is this?"

Feng Jie, the Minister of Justice, merely glanced at them without a word, watching the reactions of the others. The crowd gathered close; had it not been for the guards, they would have already reached out to touch them.

Someone whispered, "These are skeletal remains."

Another said, "Look at this skull. What giant beast could have such a massive head?"

The discussions grew louder until one man shouted, "Everyone! These are dragon bones! They are omens of good fortune, auspicious signs that protect our Great Qin!"

"Wait!" Chunyu Yue immediately interjected. "How do you know these are dragon bones?"

The man speaking was a Censor of the Qin court, clearly one of Li Si’s faction. As they argued, someone called out, "The Chancellor is here! Let us ask the Chancellor to take a look."

Chunyu Yue glanced at the sky; it was still early for the court session. He looked at the approaching Chancellor, his heart filled with suspicion. Li Si usually did not arrive this early.

"What are you all doing?" Li Si asked with a smile, being pulled forward. He added with forced warmth, "Do not delay the hour of the court session."

They pulled him to the platform and asked, "Chancellor, do you know the origin of these remains?"

"This..." Li Si looked up, feigning shock at the sight of the fossils, then stroked his beard and began to contemplate with great seriousness. Chunyu Yue looked around and felt the atmosphere was increasingly wrong.

Finally, Li Si spoke with a smile. "I confess my knowledge is shallow; I do not know the origin of these bones, and I hope for your enlightenment."

The Chancellor of Qin was so humble that the crowd chuckled in understanding. One person said, "Chancellor, these are auspicious objects."

"Oh?" Li Si replied. "How so?"

"They were unearthed from the hidden canal at Mount Shangyan. I saw the laborers dig these up yesterday and offer them to the Xianyang Palace. Furthermore, after they were unearthed, Shusun Tong declared them to be auspicious dragon bones that would protect the harvest in Guanzhong, and he rewarded every laborer with a dou of grain."

"Is that true?"

"Indeed! Shusun Tong is a scholar who joined Qin, a student of Kong Fu; his knowledge and discernment cannot be wrong. Moreover, as soon as these bones appeared, the wind and snow ceased. How divine!"

Chunyu Yue felt more and more that something was amiss; this coordinated performance was far too obvious. Li Si then straightened his expression. "The hour is late; let us enter the hall."

The group began to walk toward the main hall in small clusters. Crown Prince Fusu did not attend the court session that day. When the First Emperor arrived and the ministers finished their customary salutations, the session began. The discussion revolved endlessly around the pile of bones at the Zhangtai Palace. The ministers’ voices gradually aligned, all agreeing that they were auspicious dragon bones. Only Chunyu Yue’s expression grew graver; he watched Li Si closely. With the consensus so uniform, Li Si still wore a look of feigned suspicion—a true old fox.

Chunyu Yue stepped out of the ranks. "Since auspicious objects have been unearthed, would continuing the canal excavation be seen as a sign of disrespect?"

Whenever such moments arose, there was always someone to play the killjoy, and there were only a few such people, with Chunyu Yue always among them.

Li Si immediately replied, "I will have the laborers divert the canal around the site of the discovery."

Chunyu Yue sneered coldly to himself: *Divert? How much to divert, and where, is entirely up to you, Li Si.*

Ying Zheng said, "Since these objects were discovered by Shusun Tong and Zhang Han, I appoint Shusun Tong as a Senior Scribe, and grant Zhang Han the rank of Colonel for his meritorious service in overseeing the canal construction."

Previously, Chunyu Yue had been skeptical, but hearing the mention of Shusun Tong, he realized it all. It was a scheme orchestrated by Li Si—what the bones were and whether they were auspicious was entirely up to him.

By the time the court session concluded, the news had spread that the First Emperor had received auspicious dragon bones. The Emperor was pleased, Great Qin remained at peace, the Guanzhong region enjoyed favorable weather, and life continued as before. Even the people of Jingye County continued their work on the canal as usual.

After the session, Fusu came to the Zhangtai Palace. Ying Zheng, looking at a bamboo slip, said, "Some say that since I have received these auspicious objects, I should reduce taxes."

Fusu, having just removed his shoes and entered the hall, bowed and replied, "Father is wise."

Ying Zheng, not expecting his son to agree, said, "Sit."

"Thank you, Father."

"You are a student of Li Si and Zhang Cang. You have read the works of Han Fei and have studied seven or eight-tenths of the Legalist texts. You should understand that tax policy cannot be lightly altered."

"My learning is still insufficient; I have shamed you, Father," Fusu replied. "In the future, I shall consult the Chancellor more often."

Ying Zheng did not pursue the matter further and set aside the bamboo slip. If it had been Han Fei or Li Si, they would have surely rejected the proposal to reduce taxes.

Inside the hall, Fusu suddenly said, "Farmers rely on the land to grow grain; grain is all they have left. Reducing taxes is not impossible, but it is a mere stroke of a brush. As for who truly benefits—that remains open to debate."