Chapter 1: How to Cultivate a Ten-Thousand-Mile Empire for the Young Emperor Qin? Part 1

 

Chapter 1: Sheep's Milk Rice Porridge (Second Installment Combined with 10,000 Nutrient Solution) (1/2)

 

In ancient calendars, by the eighth month, the power of the late summer heat had diminished considerably. The street ruffians of Handan were no longer strolling around with their sleeves rolled up, and many young ladies along the streets let out a sigh.

 

Zhu Xiang, too, had wrapped himself in a thin hemp robe to shield against the wind. He sat on the stone steps, watching his friend Lin Zhi  climb the jujube tree in his family's courtyard to pick jujube fruits.

 

The jujube tree in Zhu Xiang's yard was famously known for having lots of flowers but few fruits. When other people's jujube trees were covered in flowers, by August, Zhu Xiang's tree only had a few sparse fruits. During the flowering season, the blossoms on Zhu Xiang's jujube tree were sparse, and neighbors would tease him, suggesting that this tree might not bear many jujubes.

 

However, when the tree was filled with fruits, it attracted quite a crowd. Some even thought it was an auspicious sign and wanted to share in the bounty. Lin Zhi lifted the hem of his robe and fastened it to his belt, then climbed the tree like a monkey, his long strip of cloth swaying back and forth at his waist, making Zhu Xiang's eyelids twitch with anxiety.

 

At this time, people weren't wearing trousers; they had long robes and socks that covered their entire lower bodies.

These trousers that covered everything were called "Hu Fu," introduced by King Wu Ling of Zhao, the grandfather of the current King Zhao. If anyone were to wear Hu Fu and trousers, it was undoubtedly a sign that they were preparing to ride a horse.

 

However, Lin Zhi didn't ride horses; he climbed trees instead. Zhu Xiang sighed and said, "How can I persuade him to wear trousers?"

 

Xue remained calm and glanced at Lin Zhi, who had already climbed the jujube tree and was picking more than he could actually eat. She said, "Everyone dresses like this. My dear, why do you even care about this? It's quite peculiar."

 

Zhu Xiang glanced at the women in the courtyard who were waiting to receive the jujube fruits. Everyone appeared calm, except for him, who seemed uncomfortable.

 

Well, in this era, it was indeed himself who was peculiar, but Zhu Xiang still wanted to persuade Lin Zhi to wear trousers.

 

"Since sitting cross-legged is considered improper, being exposed like this is also inappropriate," Zhu Xiang argued. "Wearing trousers would keep him warmer and prevent him from getting cold... I don't understand why he's so adamant about not wearing them."

 

As for others, he could turn a blind eye, but this guy frequently wandered around his house, and with his robe tucked into his belt like a monkey, it irritated Zhu Xiang's eyes!

 

Xue lowered her head and replied, "Is it perhaps because it's inconvenient when he needs to use the restroom? Last time, Lord Lin complained to me that his shorts slipped down while he was using the restroom, and he got them all muddy. I really don't understand, my dear, why you're so insistent on wearing these troublesome clothes."

 

Why are you complaining to Xue about your restroom business? Zhu Xiang exclaimed in frustration. Aren't you embarrassed? Am I the only one with the thinnest skin in this whole world?

 

Once again, Zhu Xiang felt out of place in this world. Despite Lin Zhi's casual demeanor and jujube thievery, he was, in fact, a government official and Zhu Xiang's "master."

 

When Zhu Xiang's parents passed away, He fell ill himself. Her elder sister Chunhua used the excuse of fetching medicine for Zhu Xiang and took away all the valuable belongings of the family. It was said that she believed the enticing words of a broker who worked for a wealthy merchant and chose a life of luxury with the merchant.

 

If it weren't for Xue, the foster daughter taken in by Zhu Xiang's parents, who stood by his side unwaveringly and knelt before wandering healers, begging for medicine, Zhu Xiang would have departed this world a long time ago.

 

Later, Zhu Xiang, despite his ailing condition, clutching a stack of straw paper and risking being beaten to death by a mob, knocked on the door of a luxurious mansion in the city. He requested to become a servant, and that's how Zhu Xiang and Xue obtained their current life.

 

Lin Zhi, on the other hand, was the youngest son of the family that Zhu Xiang had approached in his desperate plea for help when he was gravely ill.

 

Who would have thought that this lazy guy who came over for meals every day and didn't do much at all would be the son of the famous figure from the textbooks, Lin Xiangru?!

 

Zhu Xiang thought about what would the man in the mansion think about his own child stealing jujubes, stealing a little extra in case there wouldn't be enough to eat for Lin's father, sighed once more.

 

Lin Zhi, the jujube thief, didn't see anything wrong with his behavior. The Lin family originally came from humble beginnings. Even with Lin Xiangru's talents, he could only serve as a servant to the eunuch Ling Miao. It wasn't until the "Return of the Jade Scepter to Zhao" that Lin Xiangru was able to hold an official position in the Zhao state. Therefore, Lin Xiangru's personal manners were rather rough.

 

 

 

Linzhi, however, surpassed his father in many ways and disregarded his status to become a close friend of Zhu Xiang, frequently coming to his house to eat and stay. His older brothers strongly disapproved of this at first.

Ancient Lin State was once a prosperous state but was conquered and became Linyin at the beginning of the Warring States period. Linyin was constantly contested by the Qin and Zhao states, enduring a century of unceasing warfare.

Lin Xiangru came from the Lin clan of Linyin, who had migrated to Handan to escape the turmoil. Despite their humble circumstances, they were considered "scholars."

 

For someone like Lin Xiangru, who came from a background of fallen scholars, even the renowned general Lian Po once insulted him as "Xiangru, the low-born."

 Zhu Xiang, on the other hand, belonged to the common people and didn't even have a surname. "Zhu Xiang" was his name from his previous life, and in this life, he had chosen it for himself. His wife was named "Xue" simply because Zhu Xiang's parents had found her in the snow.

 

But Lin Xiangru doted on his youngest son, and they held various official positions throughout the Zhao state. Only Lin Zhi remained at home to care for his parents, and no one enforced the strict customs and traditions on Lin Zhi. Therefore, Lin Zhi was allowed to be friends with this commoner.

 

Zhu Xiang understood this situation and didn't harbor any ill feelings towards Lin Zhi's older brothers. It was a matter of the times.

 

The nobility generally didn't believe that commoners possessed "wisdom." If a commoner wanted to become a retainer of the nobility, they had to be physically gifted and exceptional "strongmen." These commoner strongmen often played the roles of cannon fodder or foot soldiers.

 

If it weren't for Lin Zhi's father, who had experienced a life of hardship in his early years, mingling with the wandering population to eke out a living, he wouldn't have been able to see commoners as equals.

The idea of becoming a noble retainer with a rudimentary papermaking technique was nothing short of naive and would have been impossible to achieve.

 

Using his expertise as a former agricultural science professor, Zhu Xiang focused on providing guidance in farming, entrusting the entire responsibility of papermaking to the Lin family. This gesture was his way of expressing gratitude and fulfilling his "contract."

 

Even though several years had passed, Zhu Xiang couldn't help but wonder why there was still no news of paper being introduced in Handan City. However, he chose to remain silent, pretending not to be aware of this matter.

 

 

Now, Zhu Xiang had reluctantly learned the survival rules of the common people in this era.

 

"Zhu Xiang!" Lin Zhi, sitting bare-bottomed on a tree branch, nonchalantly spat out a jujube pit and exclaimed, "Someone left a basket in front of your door! Is it another person thanking you by sending chickens or ducks?"

 

Zhu Xiang immediately stood up and rushed to the door, complaining, "I told them not to send anything, but they just won't listen. In these troubled times, everyone's struggling, and people should keep their chickens and ducks for themselves."

 

Lin Zhi chuckled as he jumped down from the tree, landing gracefully as if he had light-footed skills. He placed the jujubes he had gathered with his robe into the basket held by the women waiting beneath the tree and let his robe fall, returning to the appearance of a scholarly gentleman.

 

"Xue, Zhu Xiang kept glaring at me just now. Did he say something bad about me again?" Linzhi teased, "Talking behind people's backs isn't the behavior of a true gentleman."

 

Xue put down her sewing and smiled, "My dear, have never claimed to be a gentleman. Aren't you the only gentleman here?"

 

In this context, "gentleman" could refer not only to someone of high moral character but also to the respectful term for young aristocratic men in the present day.

 

Hearing Xue playfully shift the meaning, Lin Zhi burst into laughter. "If Zhu Xiang had half of your wit, I'd dare to recommend him for a government position."

 

She could complain privately to Zhu Xiang, but no one would hear a single negative word about her husband from her mouth.

 

Lin Zhi sighed, "You two as a couple, really... Can't you try to persuade Zhu Xiang to go to the battlefield?"

 

Xue shook her head, saying, "My dear doesn't like it. Moreover, the king has issued decrees that good farming can earn you nobility. Who in Zhao can farm better than my husband? Didn't Master Lin Xiangru also say that my dear hasn't received his title yet only because he's too young? When he gets a bit older, he'll surely be granted a title. Since my dear doesn't like going to the battlefield, we can just wait a few more years."

 

Lin Zhi sighed inwardly but maintained a calm expression on his face. "Of course, Zhu Xiang will eventually earn his title through farming. But a title earned by a farmer certainly won't be as prestigious as one earned by a soldier. Xue, it's about Zhu Xiang's future, so please try to persuade him. I will send people to protect him, and he won't be in danger as long as he personally takes down a few heads on the battlefield."

 

Xue shook her head once again. "My dear is not one who fears death or clings to life. He simply wants to live without taking others' lives. If he can earn a title by staying alive, why should he kill to earn it? Master Lin Xiangru should understand him."

 

Lin Zhi rested his hands behind his head and sighed, looking up at the sky. "I do understand him, too well, which is why I hope you'll talk to him. I don't dare to do it face to face."

 

 

When Lin Zhi's attempts to persuade Xue  to persuade Zhu Xiang's failed, angry shouts suddenly erupted at the door, "Where did this heartless rascal come from? How dare they leave a child on my doorstep!"

 

Both Xue and Lin Zhi were taken aback and immediately rushed to the front door.

 

At the doorstep, Zhu Xiang was fuming, confronting a basket.

 

Inside the basket, a thin and bewildered child rubbed his eyes and sat up. His tiny fingernails, as small as little chicken claws, nervously clutched the edge of the basket as he stammered, "W-where is this?"

 

Zhu Xiang's angry outburst came to a halt as he lifted the child out of the basket and placed him on the ground. He then removed his outer robe and wrapped it around the child, who was dressed thinly. Turning to Lin Zhi, Zhu Xiang said, "Lin Zhi, someone left a child at my doorstep. You need to take care of this!"

 

Zhu Xiang, due to his dedication to farming, didn't live in the inner city of Handan at the Lin family's residence. Instead, he resided in the outskirts within Lin Xiangru's territory.

 

Lin Xiangru was known for his benevolence towards the commoners on his estate and often used the rewards from the king  of Zhao to assist them. He had even established a nursery on the estate to adopt children from the commoners who couldn't afford to raise them.

 

Lin Xiangru had issued a decree that any children from the commoners on his estate who couldn't be cared for must be sent to the nursery. Private abandonment was strictly forbidden, and those who did so would face punishment.

 

It was uncertain how many abandoned infants the nursery could accommodate, but during Zhu Xiang's many years with the Lin family, it was the first time he had seen someone leave a child on someone else's doorstep.

 

"The bamboo basket and silk clothes are not something an ordinary family would have," Lin Zhi observed with keener insight than Zhu Xiang. "Could it be that someone is targeting me?"

 

Bamboo, being a specialty of the southern regions, and handcrafted goods made from bamboo were relatively expensive in Handan. As for silk, it was even more luxurious. These were all items that people too poor to care for a child couldn't afford.

 

A flood of TV drama scenes about palace intrigue and family feuds immediately flashed through Zhu Xiang's mind. "Could it be a child from a branch of your family?" He remembered that in this era, commoners were not allowed to mock nobility, so he used a more diplomatic term and didn't say "your brother" or "your son."

 

"There's a letter inside the basket," Lin Zhi said as he stooped to pick up the silk cloth from the bottom of the basket. He unfolded it, scanned the contents, and immediately wore an extremely peculiar expression.

 

Shock, anger, sympathy... a myriad of emotions played across Lin Zhi's face, causing his facial muscles to twitch uncontrollably. In the end, his expression settled on "sympathy."

 

Zhu Xiang sensed that something was amiss and quickly leaned in to read the words on the silk cloth.

 

After becoming a guest in the Lin family, Zhu Xiang had the opportunity to systematically learn the writing of this era. With his good memory and strong self-discipline, he had now become capable of writing somewhat decent characters. Naturally, he could also understand the message on the silk cloth.

 

Then, Zhu Xiang's face turned as dark as night.

 

Lin Zhi chuckled in a cryptic manner. "What's with that expression? Is this a relative of yours?"

 

Zhu Xiang shot Lin Zhi a glare, then carefully examined the child clinging to his outer robe. His expression remained blank, as if he hadn't yet realized that he had been abandoned.

 

Xue's brows furrowed. "My dear, he is..."

 

Zhu Xiang's lips quivered, torn between his anger and concern for the poor child. He managed to control his anger and said, "Let's talk inside." He gently cradled the bewildered child and turned to walk back into the house, all the while muttering curses under his breath.

 

……

This chapter is not yet complete. Click on the next page to continue reading.

 

Previous

Next