Saving My Life By Simping For My Empress - Chapter 35

Chapter 35: The stars throughout the sky were surely shining for them.

Zhou Xian happened to encounter Qin Ji by chance while organizing the evacuation of the citizens of Yungui City. Qin Ji looked like an ordinary young man, helping the residents move—especially in households without male laborers, Qin Ji could often be seen leading his men to assist.

“Why are there so few men in the households of Yungui City?” Qin Ji noticed this issue along the way and happened to ask Zhou Xian about it when they met.

“It is like this: since Wei’s defeat last year, they drafted all able-bodied men near the border into the army. Now that Yungui City belongs to Qin, the local men were taken away as the Wei army retreated.” Zhou Xian, though wearing his official robes, also lent a hand to help.

“Replenishing the ranks on the spot?” Qin Ji casually wiped sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. “Then are the fields being farmed entirely by the elderly, the children, and the women?”

In ancient times, male labor was the primary force of production; they were naturally stronger and held an advantage in labor. If the men were all in the army, the family’s livelihood fell to the vulnerable. Not only would production fail to keep up, but Wei Qiong also ignored the plight of the border people and continued to levy a fifty-percent tax.

Was this not driving the people to their deaths?

“Since the start of spring this year, it has indeed been rare to see a strong man working in the fields,” Zhou Xian said truthfully.

Speaking of replenishing the ranks, it traced back to the war between Qin and Wei. The Qin army had taken three cities in succession, and the Wei army had naturally suffered heavy casualties. In that sense, one could blame Qin for the lack of men to farm. However, war is not one-sided; it was Wei that tried to take advantage of the transition between the old and new emperors of Qin, leading to their crushing defeat and countless deaths. Ultimately, it was the desire of the ruler at work.

Qin Ji might not compare to his father—when his father was alive, who under the four seas dared provoke Qin? But even after the late Emperor passed, the foundation he left behind remained. It was like a pavilion; if the foundation is there, you can still rebuild even if the upper structure is dismantled.

Wei Qiong wanted to build a legacy for a thousand years, but he chose the wrong place to start.

“Does Wei not have an army-farming system (tuntian)?” Qin Ji was puzzled. An army doesn’t fight every day; when there is no war, isn’t sending them to farm a great source of productivity?

Zhou Xian was silent for a moment before replying, “Replying to Your Majesty, Wei does not implement the army-farming system.”

The massive army relied entirely on the imperial court for funding. The pressure on the court was immense, so they passed that pressure onto the people, whose own burdens became unbearable.

Qin Ji: These people simply don’t know the greatness of self-sufficiency!

“Your Majesty, it is dark. Everyone has worked hard all day; perhaps you should return to rest,” Zhou Xian said, seeing Qin Ji’s brocade robes were filthy beyond recognition. “General Zheng and the others may also wish to see you.”

Qin Ji agreed and returned to the county office to rest. Zheng Lu and Zeng Yi indeed came to find him. Zheng Lu reported that the first batch of citizens had been received and settled into tents divided by gender, with ten people per tent. Zeng Yi said that bailiffs had been sent to all the villages near Yungui City to prepare for the earthquake.

“How many people were evacuated today?” Qin Ji asked.

“Five thousand. We expect ten thousand tomorrow, and the rest the day after,” Zheng Lu replied.

Qin Ji nodded. “Good. You all go rest as well.”

The Bureau of Astronomy had calculated the earthquake would occur in five to seven days. By then, Yungui City would be empty; only buildings would be damaged. If people die, all is lost; if people live, houses can be rebuilt and shops can be reopened. As a major transport hub, Yungui City would not lack for prosperity for long.

However, the large-scale evacuation could not be hidden from the other three nations, especially Wei. As soon as Wei Yu arrived in Quzhou, the local officials who met the delegation couldn’t wait to ask him what was happening in Yungui City and why everyone was being moved out. Wei Yu merely offered a faint smile and brushed them off with excuses.

Scouts on horseback indeed traveled much faster than a circling delegation.

“Regardless of what is happening, the Regional Inspector should not think of poking his nose into Qin territory, or his head might easily fall off,” Wei Yu threatened. Under Zheng Shou’s protection, he entered the official hostel, refusing even the invitation to stay at the Inspector’s residence.

The Quzhou Inspector received a cold shoulder from Wei Yu but dared not speak his anger. No matter what, Wei Yu was a Prince of Wei and the current Emperor’s younger brother. A mere Inspector wouldn’t know the friction between the brothers, so he remained quite respectful.

On the surface, Wei Yu was calm, but inside he was fuming. Qin had a Bureau of Astronomy, and Wei naturally had a similar institution. If Qin’s bureau could predict an earthquake in Yungui City, could Wei’s truly not? Either the court was paying for a group of useless gluttons, or Wei Qiong was doing this on purpose, choosing not to notify Yungui City. Wei Yu no longer had any “older brother” filter for Wei Qiong; he speculated with the greatest malice.

It had better not be the latter, he thought, otherwise, when I go back this time, I must stab Wei Qiong once, or I will have failed the Wei ancestors.

…

Zhou Xian slept for four hours at the county office before getting up to work. It was not yet dawn, and the sky was hung with bright stars. As he stepped out of the office, he was stunned by the sight before him.

He saw the Qin government soldiers lying on the ground, one after another, using the sky as a blanket and the earth as a bed, sleeping soundly.

“Sir, this…”

Zhou Xian raised his hand to stop his subordinate from speaking. He quietly watched the Qin soldiers sleeping across the ground—generals and soldiers alike making do.

The stars throughout the sky were surely shining for them.

“Let’s be quiet; don’t wake them.”

Just like in Yungui City, at the temporary camps, the citizens slept inside the tents while the soldiers, who had given up their tents, sat outside leaning against them as they slept. Some said they finally understood why the Qin army was so fierce in battle last year; how could the Wei army compare to such discipline?

…

After three days of evacuation, Yungui City was emptied. Except for a very few stubborn individuals like Zhang Gong, everyone followed the army to the temporary settlement points.

“Officer, if the earthquake really happens, what will happen to our houses?” someone in the camp asked a ranking officer, clutching his sleeve in panic.

The officer smiled. “If the house is gone, we build it again. Isn’t that better than the person being gone?”

“But… but we have no money. How can we build?” the person began to cry. “We’ve paid fifty-percent taxes for several years in a row. It’s a miracle the family hasn’t starved to death. Where would we have spare money to fix a house?”

As this person cried, the surrounding citizens of Yungui also began to wail, sharing their own hardships.

“Rest assured, the court will not abandon you,” the officer comforted them. “With the court here, I guarantee you will live a good life in the future.”

As Qin Ji entered the temporary camp, he witnessed this scene of everyone covering their faces and weeping. Previously, he lived in the Imperial Palace, where everything he saw was luxury; only now did he truly understand why so many ancient writers wrote of the people’s suffering. Because the people truly suffered.

“Zheng Lu, do you think I can be an Emperor who satisfies everyone?” Qin Ji asked in a low voice. He wasn’t smart enough and was an Emperor who had to take crash courses; could he really do a good job?

Zheng Lu: “Your Majesty, I believe you can.”

If he truly didn’t care for the people’s plight, why would he stay here? He would have gone elsewhere to enjoy the sights.

Qin Ji smiled. “Then I shall work hard.”

He turned and gave an order: “Send a decree to the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works. Have them send people to calculate the costs for the reconstruction of Yungui City. Once the earthquake is over, help the people rebuild their homes.”

If the worst came to the worst, he would find a way to swindle some more silver out of Wei Qiong. He couldn’t let so many people remain homeless.

Wei Qiong, thousands of miles away: Have you no manners?

On the fourth day after Yungui City was emptied, a massive earthquake indeed occurred with the city as its epicenter. The tremors even reached Ningzhou, and the shaking was significant.

After the earthquake ended, Qin Ji immediately sent people to check the situation. In Yungui City, many houses had collapsed—especially those already in disrepair. They were completely leveled; repairing them was impossible, only rebuilding from scratch.

Hearing of the disaster, wealthy merchants donated silver and supplies to Ningzhou. In his joy, Qin Ji issued an imperial decree of praise and had the Ministry of Works craft a plaque as a reward. To receive a reward from the Emperor was a matter of great honor for an ancient person; this first merchant started a trend of donating money and goods. Qin Ji found he didn’t even need to swindle silver from Wei Qiong—the donations were enough to rebuild the city.

Qin Ji couldn’t help but reflect; it seemed the people of Qin were living much better than those of Wei, or at least better than those on the Wei border.

As Qin Ji expected, after the earthquake, Wei did indeed harass the border. It wasn’t a formal war; they just came to be annoying. Following the principle of being annoying in return, Qin Ji had Zheng Lu capture every Wei soldier they could. At ten taels of silver per prisoner, Zheng Lu captured over a thousand and told the Wei side to pay up to redeem them. Qin Ji even generously rounded the figure down—only ten thousand taels to get everyone back. This was just the price for the people; the captured military equipment was not being returned.

When Quzhou saw over a thousand men return—a whole army stripped even of their wrist guards—the Quzhou Inspector coughed up blood on the spot.

The news was sent back to the Wei capital via urgent courier. Wei Qiong was so furious he wrote a letter cursing Zheng Lu as an “old rogue.” Zheng Lu glanced at it and burned it; let Wei Qiong curse, the supplies and silver belonged to Qin now.

“Your Majesty truly has divine foresight, guessing long ago that Wei would cause trouble,” Zheng Lu said with admiration.

Qin Ji: “Hardly divine foresight.” He just understood that Wei Qiong was shameless.

As for the countries of Duogua and Cangshu, seeing Wei lose both troops and treasure, they didn’t dare move. They returned the way they came. Cangshu even sent an envoy to Ningzhou with some symbolic supplies, maintaining a polite facade.

But the matter was not yet over. As soon as Wei Yu arrived in the Wei capital and was received by Wei Qiong at the morning court, he directly questioned Wei Qiong in front of all the officials.

“Did Your Majesty truly not know an earthquake would occur in Yungui City?” “Why was Your Majesty so eager to send troops after the earthquake? To what end?” “Does Your Majesty still wish to break the peace and start a war with Qin?”

Wei Yu addressed him as “Your Majesty” with every breath, yet his back was ramrod straight and his words were resonant; he showed not a shred of awe or submission.

“Wei Yu!” Wei Qiong was so angry the pearls on his imperial crown were shaking. “Is this how you speak to me?”

After losing ten thousand taels and a batch of equipment, Wei Qiong was already fuming. He had dealt with several ministers before Wei Yu, only for Wei Yu to be so insolent the moment he returned!

Wei Yu tilted his head up and looked directly at Wei Qiong. “I have whatever attitude Your Majesty has.”

Wei Qiong slammed the table. “Insolent! Men!”

Wei Yu let out a faint, mocking laugh. “What does Your Majesty wish to do? Call people to drag me out and behead me?”

At these words, ministers hurriedly knelt. “Your Majesty, please reconsider!” Soon, the whole court was kneeling. “Please reconsider, Your Majesty!”

Wei Yu stood before the ministers; though in simple robes, he had more presence than Wei Qiong on the dragon throne.

“Ahem.” Zheng Shou, who had been playing invisible for a while, finally stepped forward. “Foreign officials shouldn’t listen to Wei’s internal politics. How about letting me finish what I need to do first?”

My word, Zheng Shou thought, Prince Wei Yu was so commanding just now, I was dazed. How did the previous Wei Emperor choose Wei Qiong over Wei Yu?

Causing such a scene in front of a foreign envoy was undignified. Wei Qiong knew that continuing would not be good for him, so he took the exit Zheng Shou provided.

“My royal brother hasn’t been home for a long time. He must miss it; go see your family first.” Wei Qiong dismissed Wei Yu to the late Empress’s palace.

Wei Yu performed his salutations unhurriedly and turned to leave. Zheng Shou chuckled inwardly before stepping into the center of the hall with a fake air of solemnity. “Emperor of Wei, my Qin Emperor has specially sent a gift. I hope Your Majesty likes it.”

Wei Qiong’s expression softened slightly. “Bring it forward.”

Zheng Shou handed a brocade box containing ruyi scepters to the head eunuch, who brought it to Wei Qiong. Wei Qiong opened the box, saw the three ruyi, and slammed it shut with a clatter.

Zheng Shou added fuel to the fire: “We specially send Your Majesty three ‘Fu-Lu-Shou’ ruyi, wishing Your Majesty a full measure of fortune, prosperity, and longevity!”

Wei Qiong had been wrong. Zheng Shou hadn’t provided an exit, but a heavy blow. The ministers who knew the backstory also turned pale. Who would have thought that when they sent gifts to humiliate Qin Ji, they would now be humiliated by him in return?

Zheng Shou hadn’t come for diplomatic relations; even if he angered Wei Qiong to death, it didn’t matter. After delivering the gift, he was jubilant. The taste of being humiliated back after trying to humiliate Qin doesn’t feel good, does it?

Wei Qiong was nearly dead from anger by the morning’s end. He muttered a few polite platitudes and declared the court adjourned.

…

Wei Yu led Bai Lu to the late Empress’s palace, where he had grown up. The palace was now uninhabited and had lost its former glory. Only servants came to clean it periodically. Since Wei Qiong didn’t care for the late Empress’s chambers, it was now a desolate place overgrown with weeds.

“I was in Qin for less than a year, and already no one cares for this place.” Wei Yu stepped into the palace, unsure if he felt more resentment or disappointment.

“Is this where Your Highness used to live?” Bai Lu looked at the weeds and was incredulous. “Did this place go to ruin after Your Highness went to Qin?”

Wei Yu smiled at Bai Lu. “As it appears, yes.” Wei Qiong truly was heartless; even if he hated Wei Yu, he shouldn’t have neglected their mother’s chambers.

“Will Your Highness stay in the palace tonight?” Bai Lu frowned. “This is no place for you to stay.”

Wei Yu: “Of course not.” This was Wei Qiong’s territory; why would he stay?

However, before leaving the palace, he planned to walk around. The palace servants mostly recognized him and would bow, but as he walked past, they would whisper about why the hostage had suddenly returned and whether the palace was about to change masters.

Wei Yu entered his mother’s bedchamber. It was cleaned occasionally, so there wasn’t much dust, but the room held the stagnant air of a place long uninhabited. The people who served his mother had likely been sent away by Wei Qiong, leaving not a single one behind. Otherwise, how could her room have become like this?

Wei Yu walked into the garden and saw a swing. “When I was very small, Wei Qiong once pushed me.” He blew off the dust and sat on it. But there was no longer an old friend behind him; those faces and smiles were all in the past.

In his past life, when he returned to Wei gravely injured, he had lived here. Looking back, Wei Qiong had only sent people to clean it up at the last minute to receive him. After all, he wouldn’t live much longer; why not put on a show? The past life felt like it was at the edge of the world, yet also right before his eyes.

“Shall I push Your Highness?” Bai Lu asked.

Wei Yu waved his hand. “No, it’s in disrepair. What if I fall and become lame?” He stood up, leaving the swing behind to look at other things.

Bai Lu secretly noted the swing. She would send a message back so that the Prince could have a new swing.

…

Yungui City had many collapsed houses to clear and rebuild, and there was government business sent from the capital; Qin Ji was successfully busy. Reconstruction was manageable; the people of Yungui City, having witnessed the Qin government’s policies, were very trusting. With Zhou Xian still there—and the people already respecting him—Yungui City was safe as long as Zhou Xian didn’t suddenly decide to rebel.

What troubled Qin Ji was a joint letter from Xu Ziye and Zhao Anhong, asking him to think about the exam questions for this year’s imperial examinations. Originally, the questions were set by others and sent to him for approval. However, since Qin Ji’s governing skills were still at a beginner level, Xu Ziye wanted to train him. After discussing it with Zhao Anhong, they left the setting of this year’s questions to Qin Ji.

Qin Ji: “…” Who exactly is taking the exam?

Furthermore, Xu Ziye’s letter urged him to do his homework properly, saying he would check every essay upon his return. Qin Ji admired Xu Ziye’s dedication immensely and then studied in agony every day.

Previously, when he was tired, he could cuddle with Wei Yu. Now, Wei Yu was in the Wei capital. Every time he habitually called Wei Yu’s name only to remember he wasn’t there, he would be depressed for a while. This made his homework even more painful.

“Your Majesty, why the sighs?” Gao De asked with concern.

“I miss Wei Yu. I wonder if he’s eating well in Wei and if Wei Qiong is bullying him.” Qin Ji sighed again. He couldn’t write his homework anymore and put down his brush. “Gao De, accompany me for a walk around the General’s mansion.” Maybe a walk would change his mood.

The General’s mansion was large and had been granted to a meritorious official; much effort had been put into its renovation, and the scenery was quite good. However, Qin Ji lacked an artistic eye; besides the word “pretty,” he couldn’t appreciate any deeper meaning.

Walking in the mansion, he happened to meet Zheng Lu. Qin Ji called him over: “Is the Duke of the State free? Take a walk with me?”

Zheng Lu naturally wouldn’t refuse and walked with Qin Ji. “I remember Your Majesty once came to this mansion. You were still a child, brought by the late Emperor. Now, Your Majesty has come of age.” Zheng Lu couldn’t help but sigh. “How time flies!”

Qin Ji paused, suspicion rising. “I have been to Ningzhou?”

Zheng Lu: “Yes. Does Your Majesty not remember?”

Qin Ji lowered his eyes. Of course he didn’t remember. He was a “transmigrator” into a book. The protagonist was Wei Yu, and all the ink was used to describe Wei Yu’s endurance; it naturally wouldn’t mention where “Qin Ji” went as a child.

Zheng Lu: “Perhaps after many years, Your Majesty has forgotten. Back then, Your Majesty even lost a jade pendant, saying it was a gift from a very important friend. You didn’t know where it fell. The late Emperor had people search the whole mansion, but they couldn’t find it. Your Majesty cried for a long time.”

Qin Ji: “A jade pendant?”

Zheng Lu nodded. “Yes, I believe it was a ‘Double Fish’ jade pendant.”

Double Fish jade pendant… Qin Ji’s breathing became ragged. He had a Double Fish jade pendant that he had worn since he was a child, and he had been wearing it around his neck until the moment he transmigrated. Coincidences in this world are rare; could this jade pendant be a coincidence?

Qin Ji walked on, lost in thought. Zheng Lu and Gao De followed behind, unaware that Qin Ji’s eyes were blank and his attention was not on his feet. Because he wasn’t paying attention, Qin Ji successfully tripped himself.

“Your Majesty!” “Your Majesty!”

Zheng Lu and Gao De nearly lost their souls in fright. Qin Ji clutched his head, which had hit a pillar. “I’m fine, it’s not a big problem.”

“Let someone take a look. That hit sounded quite loud,” Gao De said.

Qin Ji: “…Shout a bit louder, why don’t you? If you keep shouting, everyone will know the Emperor walked into a pillar.” Gao De immediately shut his mouth.

“Your Majesty, let’s go back. We can tour the mansion another day,” Zheng Lu said.

Qin Ji pressed the bump on his head, wincing in pain. “Let’s go back.”

Gao De went to call the physician, and Zheng Lu accompanied Qin Ji back to his courtyard. On the way, Qin Ji suddenly had a sensation and turned to look at a wall.

“Official Zheng, if one flips over that wall, is there a small pond?” Qin Ji asked.

Zheng Lu: “Yes. Has Your Majesty remembered something?”

Qin Ji wasn’t sure; he just felt it instinctively. But he was a transmigrator—this was his first time in Ningzhou. Why did he instinctively feel that there was a pond behind that wall?

“Speaking of which, I seem to remember… when Your Majesty followed the late Emperor to Ningzhou, did you not fall into the pond?”

Qin Ji’s face went blank, and he quickened his pace. If you’re going to talk about the pond, just talk about the pond—why mention him falling into it? This Zheng Lu was truly annoying.

But… how strange. Where did he get the memories of “Qin Ji”?