The Great Qin Empire---Qin Li

It was the winter of the 23rd year of the reign of King Qin, late December.

It had just snowed in Anlu County, and the weather was very cold, but in the school of Anlu County, three new disciples were still crowded around the fire pit, starting their first class with expectant eyes.

Their teacher "Gan" asked Jing, who was helping, to slowly melt the frozen ink in the inkstone with hot water, then wet the brush and write a large seal character on the rough wooden board.

"灋!"

After Jing helped to melt the ink, he also sat by the fire pit to warm his hands. As an old disciple who had enrolled last year, he could almost recite what the teacher was going to teach everyone next with his eyes closed. Because every time a new disciple enrolls, the master will give them a special lesson. The learning career of the students in the study room begins with understanding this word...

After asking everyone to write this word on the wooden slip, the master continued:

"灋 means punishment. It is as flat as water, and it is derived from water. 廌 (zhì) is the ancient beast Xiezhi (xiè zhì). It understands human words and human nature, can distinguish right from wrong, can recognize good and evil, loyalty and treachery, and when it finds evil, it touches it with its horns. Therefore, it is used as a law beast. When the prison officials try cases, they wear Xiezhi crowns. There is also a stone Xiezhi outside the lobby of the county prison."

"Come, write it three more times and feel this word well."

Watching the three new disciples carefully copying this word stroke by stroke, I couldn't help but laugh. In the next year, they will have to copy it hundreds of times...

The school is a training school for Qin civil servants who are competent for various grassroots work - legal officials. Therefore, the first class must make everyone understand what law and official are.

"Law is the program of the world and the model of all things; official is what the people depend on for their lives!"

The Master was excited again. He knocked on the table and said: "My Qin is different from other countries. We punish crimes according to the law, and the people have no complaints when they die; we measure merits according to the law, and the people do not need to be grateful when they are rewarded. These are the effects of handling things according to the law. Therefore, the "Ming Fa" chapter says: If you govern the country by law, you will only correct mistakes!"

So, where does the law come from? From the gods of heaven? From the will of the people?

No, none of them.

"The one who creates the law is the monarch!"

"The one who abides by the law is the minister; the one who follows the law is the people."

Legislation is the exclusive right of the monarch, the minister is the defender of the law, and the people must obey the law and take the law as the charter of life.

The master of the school should deeply instill this concept into the minds of all disciples, so that they will strictly follow this principle in their future career. Whether as a grassroots assistant official or a county official, they must be loyal to the king and the law.

The new disciples nodded frequently, but Jing was roasting by the fire, wandering in the sky. When he first entered school more than a year ago, he was also like this, full of curiosity about everything around him, and eagerly pursuing all unknown knowledge. But now, he has long adapted to the life of a disciple in the school. After the novelty disappears, what remains is more boring and tired.

I still remember that last fall, when my brother just sent him to school, after the first legal system class, the disciples were required to take a "basic test" and write a 300-word judicial document in small seal script.

Those clerks who have been working as officials for generations have been dealing with these things since childhood. They write very quickly and finish them quickly. A country boy like Jing, who has a poor foundation, has to bite the pen and think for a long time before he can write more than a hundred words...

According to the different foundations of the disciples, the teacher of the school divides them into different levels. Those with excellent performance can directly familiarize themselves with the legal provisions, while those with poor foundations have to recognize at least 5,000 seal characters...

Don't be surprised, this is just the most basic basic skills for being a legal official.

Jing re-studied for half a year before his literacy was considered to be good. In the next few months, they dealt with boring legal provisions, such as "Theft Law", "Thief Law", "Military Rank Law", "Effective Law", etc., basically learning one article a month, not only to understand the sentencing principles of each law, but also to read and recite them.

Because the Master said that if they become law clerks in the future and remember the wrong provisions of the law when the time comes, then they will be punished with the law they remembered incorrectly, as a punishment for serious consequences of dereliction of duty...

"If I remember the death penalty incorrectly, it will be terrible." At that time, I stuck out my tongue in shock.

In addition to law classes, they also have to learn to drive a carriage, because after the disciples graduate from the academy, there will be no exemption from military service, and they may be recruited to serve as charioteers on the battlefield. In addition, they have to practice swordsmanship and archery to strengthen their bodies. It doesn't require you to be very powerful, but at least you have to be able to lift a sword and hit the target.

Qin Li is not a simple civil servant. They must be able to fight on the battlefield with a sword and write official documents with a pen. They are all versatile, so that they can adapt to the needs of the Qin State.

There are so many things to learn, and if they don't learn well, they will be ruthlessly whipped by the Master, so the life of the disciples in the academy is much harder than that of college students in later generations. Jing only had one day off every ten days. Whenever he did, he would go to the official temple to look for his brother's former colleague, Wei Shi Anpu, to inquire about the news of the war...

Inquire about the life and death of his brother Heifu!

...

At first, sporadic news about the war against Wei was sent back, and most of the news was optimistic. The Qin army was unstoppable and eventually broke through Daliang and destroyed the Wei Kingdom. The government sent people to publicize this matter in various counties and prefectures, so that everyone knew about the glorious victory of the Qin army and the king.

At the same time, Heifu's title was constantly being implemented in Anlu County by Xianyang.

First from Zan Niao to Bu Geng, and then from Bu Geng to Da Fu, Zhongxiong's title soared like flying, which surprised and delighted Jing.

Wei Shi Anpu quietly told him: "You don't know, every time Heifu's title is promoted, Zuowei's face will be a little uglier!"

Jing knew that his second brother had an old grudge with Zuowei's family, which was one of the reasons why he was repeatedly excluded in the school. In the first few months when Heifu was sent north to serve, everyone stayed away from Jing, and those officials didn't like to play with him. That was the most difficult period.

But as Heifu's title was promoted by two levels, some people began to smile at Jing. In the small county of Anlu, there were not many people with the title of doctor. They could be the chief clerk of the Caozhi of the county, or the village official. Seeing that their family was getting rich, how could they not quickly please them?

But Jing had seen the warmth and coldness of human nature, and his mind was much more mature. He only maintained a faint friendship with those classmates who flattered him. He only hoped that after the war, his second brother would return soon.

But the first to come were not the soldiers returning home, but the news of the war between Qin and Chu!

The incident started with a small conflict in Nanjun. During that period, all the people in Anlu were on alert, and even leaving the city to return home became difficult. Nanjun seemed to be a battlefield at any time. Fortunately, Qin and Chu chose Huaibei as the place for the game, and Anlu was spared.

It was already October, and Heifu had been away for a whole year. It was reasonable that his service period had expired and it was time for him to come back, but he was nowhere to be seen. Zhong, who was in his hometown in Yunmeng Township, asked someone to urge Jing, saying that his mother had become sick due to anxiety, and asked him to find a way to find out.

"Maybe they will be released after the expiration of October..." Wei Shi Anpu comforted Jing, but he knew in his heart that Heifu and his men were probably involved in the war against Chu again.

Finally, in early November, Jing received the letter from Heifu from Yangcheng...

"On September Dingsi, Heifu dared to ask Zhong again, is mother well? Are Zhong and Jing well? Heifu is also well. Now I am in Yangcheng, serving as the captain of the short-armed 100, and the captain treats me very well..."

"It is a letter from Zhong, brother Zhong is safe!"

Jing quickly read the letter and was overjoyed. After thanking Anpu, he immediately took three days off and took a bullock cart back to his home in Yunmeng Township. He rushed home, showed the letter to Zhong, read it to their mother personally, and pointed to the words on it and taught them one by one to his nephews and nieces...

"Will Zhongshu come back?" Yang Heyue asked with his head raised.

"Yes, I will!"

Jing said to his family happily: "Mother, uncle, brother Zhong said that he became a short soldier of the captain and was highly valued by the captain. I guess he doesn't have to charge into battle like before. After the war is over, he will be able to return home safely! Maybe it will be on the winter solstice, maybe on the La Festival. When brother Zhong comes back, we will reunite as a family and continue to pound rice cakes!"

After comforting his mother, Jing had to hurriedly carry his bag and return to the school, his heart full of expectations.

But when time entered December, through those sporadic news, he could no longer be optimistic.

At first, some people in the market said that the Qin army was defeated on the Huaibei front, and then they were captured by the city officials, sent to the official temple, and shaved their heads for spreading rumors.

But it is better to prevent people from speaking than to prevent rivers. Rumors are still flying around Anlu. Jing sneered at it at first, but the more he talked, the more it sounded true and the more he talked, the more alarmist it became.

Some say that the Qin army was completely wiped out and more than a dozen captains died.

Some say that the Qin army was defeated and Chen and Cai were recaptured by the Chu people.

The government did not come out to refute the rumors and tell everyone the truth, but only strengthened the control of speech.

Because in terms of war, Qin State, like historical records, always reported good news but not bad news. Victories were happily recorded in letters, such as how many heads were beheaded and how many cities were destroyed, and then they were promoted to the people.

But if it was a defeat, the historians would treat it as if it had never happened, and it would not be recorded in the "Qin Ji" and would not be known to the people.

This is why Li Xin's defeat in the Chu war disappeared from the "Qin Shi Huang Ben Ji", because Qin State's own history book "Qin Ji" also skipped this matter directly.

But there is no impenetrable wall in the world. Nanjun is not far from Huaibei. As those untrue and false news continued to come back, everyone was in a panic. When Jing was in the study room, many disciples pointed at him and whispered.

Everyone knew that his second brother was on the front line. Now there was a great defeat ahead. I am afraid that Heifu was in danger...

Those sympathetic eyes and words made Jing surprisingly angry.

"My second brother will be fine!"

He said so confidently, but he was worried in his heart. He didn't even dare to tell his family about these things, let his mother know...

At this moment, someone hurried in, interrupted the teacher's class for the new disciples, and brought Jing, who was wandering in the sky and full of worries, back to reality.

The disciple who came in from outside saluted the teacher in the study room. After saying a few words in his ear, the teacher looked at Jing.

"Jing."

"The disciple is here!"

The master said, "Go out, someone is looking for you outside the door."

After Jing promised, he walked out in confusion, but then he thought of a possibility. He opened his eyes wide, regardless of his dignity, rolled up his skirt, and ran in the snow!

At the door of the school, one year and three months ago, Brother Zhong asked him to stay where he was and gave him a pile of tangerines. There were three men wearing warm furs.

Two faced inward, one faced outward, and they were talking enthusiastically, laughing while talking.

Wasn't the young man in black goat fur Xiao Tao, the guard who was brought home by Brother Zhong as a guest? He remembered that Xiao Tao was an ordinary young man in the village, only a few years older than himself, very dull, wearing a short coat and short brown, revealing poverty. How come he is wearing a good set of clothes and furs now?

And the other man, who else could it be but Ji Ying whom Jing had seen before? Ji Ying used to be thin and had a pointed face, but now he has a rosy face, and is also wearing a white lamb fur coat, with bright and beautiful clothes inside. There is confidence in his eyes, and he looks like he is returning home in brocade.

Jing rubbed his eyes and looked at the tall man with his back to him in disbelief. The man's clothes were even more extraordinary. He was wearing a thick bear fur coat. This kind of fur coat is worth at least 20,000 coins, or even 40,000 or 50,000 coins. In the whole Anlu County, only the county magistrate, the county magistrate, and the wealthy Zuo Wei have it. Looking at the double-board long crown on his head, it can be seen that this man has a high rank and is really rich and noble...

But why does this man's figure look so familiar?

"Brother Zhong?"

Jing shouted hesitantly.

The man turned around and saw Jing, and immediately grinned, revealing white teeth against his still dark face.

"My brother."

Hei Fu strode over, patted Jing's thin shoulders with both hands, and laughed: "It's been a year since we last met, and you're almost as tall as me!"