A Step into the Past

Book 17 Chapter 04 – Gold Upon The City Gates

On the same day that Lord Changping assumed the position of Left Premier, Prince Dan led his men back to Yan. Xiang Shaolong asked Liu Chao and Pu Bu to lead City Cavalry troops in escort, preventing any conspiracy from Lu Buwei.

As they parted reluctantly, Xiang Shaolong left the city and returned to the ranch to bury Zhao Ya properly. Due to their own mourning, they were obliged by custom to miss Lu Gong's funeral.

By the time everything was settled, ten days had passed. Xiao Pan dispatched messengers three times to urge him back to the city. By now, Xiang Shaolong had gradually nursed himself back from his grief and determined to return to the city the next morning.

Heavy snow had started falling since dusk. After they had said a prayer for Zhao Ya, Xiang Shaolong and Ji Yanran returned to their home shoulder to shoulder.

Ji Yanran grabbed his hand and gently said: "When you return to the city this time, you should first pay Sister Qing a visit, else she is sure to be very unhappy!"

Xiang Shaolong as startled: "Have you seen her?"

Ji Yanran nodded, saying: "I did see her! She also knows about Madam Ya's passing, if not she would not have forgiven you."

Xiang Shaolong replied in distress: "Didn't you forbid me from touching your Sister Qing? Why are you encouraging me to look for her now?"

Ji Yanran sighed serenely saying: "Maybe its because of my love and respect for her! I think she is losing her self control with you. Else she would not have lowered her noble self to come here looking for you the day after we returned. Of course she pretended it was just to see me, but on learning that you had gone to the court meeting, her entire being became listless. Ai! I do not know what to say."

The moment they stepped into the rear garden, there was a flash and Shan Rou had cut off the two people.

The two of them received a fright and let go of their hands.

Shan Rou reached out her hand and pinched Ji Yanran's cheek and displayed an enchanting smile, saying: "Beautiful girl! This girl wants to borrow your husband for a while!"

Ji Yanran did not expect to be teased by Shan Rou and did not know whether to laugh or be angry. She said in annoyance: "If you want to borrow then borrow! Am I Ji Yanran that possessive?" With a lovely laugh, she left.

Shan Rou took the initiative and pulled Xiang Shalong's hand and coming to a little pavilion in the inner garden, she turned and hugged him tightly. She heaved a sigh and said: "Xiang Shaolong! I am leaving!"

Xiang Shaolong hoarsely cried: "What?"

Shan Rou pushed him away and turning her lovely body around, said with some irritation: "I've said it so clearly, didn't you hear? I am leaving!"

Xiang Shaolong moved forward and hugged her little petulant waist, somberly saying: "Where is Sister Rou going?"

Shan Rou heaved another sigh. Shaking her head, she said: "Please don't ask, ok? In short I will be returning to Qi tomorrow. I can't be sure that I will be back to see you in the future."

Xiang Shaolong recalled the words she had said when they were in Chu. Then she had denied it as a lie, but going by the present circumstance, it could be true after all. Thinking about the reasons she would throw herself into another man's embrace, he could not help but be dejected. Still, he could not do anything and could only remain speechless for a while.

Shan Rou quietly said: "Why are you not talking? Are you angry with me?!"

Xiang Shaolong released the hand he had looped around her and laughed bitterly saying: "What right do I have to be angry with you? Sister Rou should do whatever she wants to do! I could I Xiang Shaolong interfere?"

Shan Rou turned around like a tornado and looped her arms round his neck, both her eyes displaying deep emotion. With a gentleness that she has never shown before, she said: "Let Zhi Zhi represent me in service of you, but tonight I Shan Rou will belong to you Xiang Shaolong. I will listen to commands and run your errands. At the same time I want you to remember that Shan Rou will never forget Xiang Shaolong. Its just regretful that Shan Rou has made a promise to someone else. The details have been made known to you earlier."

Xiang Shaolong looked at the flurrying snow outside the pavilion and remembered the tragic Zhao Ya. The pain in his heart covered over his indignation over Shan Rou's leaving. He nodded his head and said: "I understand. Sister should wholeheartedly do what she wants to do! We cannot have everything we want. I Xiang Shaolong am resigned to this fate."

Shan Rou silently leaned into his embrace and for the first time, Xiang Shaolong saw the glistening teardrop rolling in her beautiful eyes.

When he woke the next day, Shan Rou had already left quietly.

Xiang Shaolong forced himself to set aside his longing for her and got up to practice his sword skills.

Ji Yanran excitedly came over with her spear to spar with him. Wu Tingfang, the Tian Sisters and Xiang Bao'er stood at the side cheering. The atmosphere was glad and cheerful.

The Talented Lady Ji's spear technique was certainly accomplished. As the fight developed, even though Xiang Shaolong gave his all in an acrobatic display, he

could not break the power of her spear. Withdrawing his sword, he laughed:

"This kid admits defeat. Fortunately I still have the Flying Dragon Spear that is owed to me. I will go to the Intoxicated Wind Mansion these couple of days to demand it from Wu Fu. I will ask the Talented Lady's advice again."

Ji Yanran held her spear horizontally and laughed, saying: "This house has house rules. If you wish your wife to accompany you for the night, you must dispossess the spear in her hand. Tingfang and the rest will be witnesses."

Wu Tingfang and the rest applauded in glee, as if they would not be happy till they had seen some chaos.

Xiang Shaolong mischievously laughed: "If Talented Lady Ji considers that her opponent was not her husband whose emotions restrained his hand, do you think she will be able to boast on to the world!"

Ji Yanran's jade cheeks burned deep red and she angrily said: "If Xiang Shaolong is this kind of petty despicable person, even if I surrender my body, I will not be happy in my heart."

Xiang Shaolong knew that her intentions were good, to use this to encourage him to improve his skills diligently. He sobered up and said: "Relax! I was but cracking a joke! As long as Talented Lady gives me three years, I will be able to succeed"

Ji Yanran's pupils opened wide and she hoarsely said: "Three years?"

Xiang Shaolong laughed loudly and stepped forward, pulling her into his embrace and said soothingly: "Even three days is too long for me. How could I let the Talented Lady restrain herself in isolation like a widow for three years, ha……."

At this moment, Jing Shan arrived with a report that Wu Yingyuan had returned.

As Xiang Shaolong celebrated, Wu Tingfang had barrelled out to greet him.

As he arrived at the main hall of the master residence, the spirited Wu Yingyuan had been enveloped by Wu Tingfang in a large embrace. Tao Fang was reporting the recent developments to him.

After a round of noise and excitement, Wu Yingyuan carried Xiang Bao'er and sat down beside Xiang Shaolong and Tao Fang to talk. Wu Tingfang automatically massaged her father's tired shoulders. The hall was brimming with familial warmth and affection.

After Wu Yingyuan said a few sentences of praise to Xiang Shaolong, he laughed and said: "This trip I visited the distant northern lands and saw that the land that Wu Zhuo has been working on is truly a blessed paradise. The terrain is superior, with abundant water and lush greenery. Wu Zhuo has constructed a large ranch and has also received a few minority tribes who have been oppressed by the barbarians as resident workers. The whole effort is progressing steadily, but more manpower is needed else we cannot deal with the barbarians."

Xiang Shaolong said: "I too have this intention. This is because Wang Jian will be posted back to Xianyang soon. Without his assistance, we will have to rely on ourselves for everything."

Wu Yingyuan said: "I have discussed this with Little Zhuo. He needs at least two thousand more men. Is that a problem?"

Xiang Shaolong replied: "No problem at all.

Wu Yingyuan relaxed and informed Tao Fang: “Master Tao, please take charge of this. Eventually, I wished to move our Wu Household gradually away from Qin towards the Northern Lands. After all, it is the best place to live and prosper. In the future, we need not worry about politics or power struggles.”

After discussing the details further, Xiang Shaolong led his wives and the Guardians back to Xianyang City.

Back at the city, he headed to the palace first to visit Xiao Pan.

Xiao Pan was delighted to see him again and received him as usual in the Imperial Study. After seating themselves, he started: “Lian Po has been sacked.”

Although it was within expectations, Xiang Shaolong felt some hints of despair. From now onwards, Zhao will be controlled by Guo Kai and Pang Nuan. At the same time, he wondered about Li Mu’s fate.

Xiao Pan appears to have a great dislike for Lian Po. With this burden off his chest, he added: “Without Lian Po, Zhao is akin to having lost half of their fighting ability. If Li Mu is gone too, it will be the end of Zhao.”

Xiang Shaolong knew that he harbours deep hatred for the people of Zhao which is something beyond his control. In a deep voice, he inquired: “Did they kill Lian Po?”

Xiao Pan plainly state: “Lian Po is a wise strategist. The minute he sensed something was wrong, he immediately led his kinsmen and escaped to Daliang City together. I heard that he had fallen ill due to his anger at the Zhao politicians. Ai! Age is catching up on him and he is just a shade of his former glory.”

Xiang Shaolong’s spirits sank.

Xiao Pan sighed: “Unfortunately, Li Mu is still fighting a successful battle against the Xiong Nu at the northern border. It seems like he will still enjoy a prolonged period of prosperity. As long as he is around, we cannot afford to attack Zhao and can only focus our armies on Han and Wei.”

Remembering his old friends Han Chuang, Han Feizi and Lord Longyang, Xiang Shaolong felt even worse.

He was most concerned about Lord Longyang and expressed: “If Lian Po is helping Wei, it will not be so easy to attack them.”

Misunderstanding his intention, Xiao Pan sniggered: “Master need not fret. This is called retribution. Earlier this year, Lian Po had attacked Wei and conquered their Rongyang Province. King Anli of Wei hates him to the core. Now that he has defected to Daliang, it will be a blessing if they did not kill him at sight. Why would they even use him as their defending general?”

Xiang Shaolong was dumbfounded. Changing the topic, Xiao Pan commented: “Using the water engineer Zheng Guo from Han, Lu Buwei has started building the irrigation canal for more than a year. They planned to divert water from River Jing towards the east and merge with River Luo in the north. This project has exhausted our resources and manpower, making it hard for us to attack the eastern states. At most, we can only attack Han. Currently, Meng Ao is working hard at recruiting and training new soldiers to increase our military strength. I have a suggestion: Why don’t Master lead an expedition personally and accumulate military contributions? This will help to suppress Meng Ao and Wang Ci’s influence.”

Xiang Shaolong was secretly shocked. He hurriedly advised: “This is not the best time. If I am gone, Lu Buwei may try something funny in my absence. We had better wait for Lord Changping to consolidate his influence first.”

Xiao Pan sighed, agreeing that Xiang Shaolong’s words do make sense and did not insist any further. His mood turning better, he laughed: “Thinking about the other day when we coordinated our words during the morning court and suppressed Lu Buwei, I was filled with joy.”

Xiang Shaolong enquired: “Lu Buwei will surely find some other ways to hit back at us. Did he do anything unusual these days?”

Xiao Pan bitterly smiled: “His methods caught me by surprise. On the second day after you left for the farm, that traitor dangled a reward of one thousand taels of gold upon the city gates. He bragged that if anyone can improve on his <<Spring & Autumn Annals of Lu by even one word, he will reward the gold to him. This has caused everyone to analyze his works. As Master knows, this book from hell is only his own theories to establish power and compete with my royal authority. This is so infuriating!”

Xiang Shaolong was speechless. This traitor surely knows how to advertise himself to the common population. In this manner, he will indirectly influence the thinking of the Qin population and create doubts about Shang Yang’s reforms which emphasizes on royal authority.

He is from the 21st Century and he understood the powerful effects of mass media influence better than Xiao Pan.

This cannot be easily resolved by force or strength. Reminded about his beloved Talented Lady Ji, he stood up and promised: “Crown Prince need not panic. Give me some time to think this over. The next time I see you, I will present you with a viable solution.”

Xiao Pan was elated: “I knew that Master will give me a brilliant counter strategy. Please hurry up. I will wait for your good news.”

In actual fact, Xiang Shaolong is making an empty promise and did not have the slightest confidence that Talented Lady Ji will have a good solution too. But in front of this future Qin Shihuang who holds him in such high regard, he could only force himself to accept this task.

Stepping out of the Imperial Study, he thought of Li Si and guessed that he should be able to provide some assistance to counter Lu Buwei’s propaganda too. After all, he is more talented than himself in political theories. With this in mind, he went to look for him.

Li Si was buried in his work. When Xiang Shaolong showed up at his workplace, he happily welcomed him into the inner hall.

Xiang Shaolong laughed: “Why are you so busy? Is it related to Lord Changping?”

Li Si settled down in his seat and his face reddened: “I have just finished his work and am now working on my own.”

Xiang Shaolong was curious: “Why does Brother Li appear to be embarrassed about his own work?”

Li Si replied in a soft voice: “Shaolong must not laugh at me. For the past six months, I have been vigorously analyzing Shang Yang’s reforms and spotted several loopholes and weakness in the operations and executions. Thus, I focused my attention and came up with a more suitable management model. If it is utilised, it will improve administration drastically and is extremely favourable to uniting the world in the future.”

Xiang Shaolong was overjoyed: “Tell me more about it.”

Li Si’s eyes shone brightly and his spirits lifted: “Firstly, there is a weakness regarding the Left and Right Premiers. Both are positions with high authorities and it is hard to define their roles. Whoever that is holding more power can interfere with the other Premier’s work. For example, Lu Buwei is constantly interfering with the Qin military. If we can limit his jurisdiction, we can curb his excessive power and solve the problem of Qin officials holding more authority than the Qin King at the same time.”

Xiang Shaolong slapped his armrest, exclaiming: “I understand. Brother Li can use this to counter the <<Spring-Autumn Annals of Lu!”

Li Si nodded: “Exactly. Unfortunately, my powers are limited and can only use this as a discussion topic but cannot implement this into full force to counter Lu Buwei’s theories. Honestly speaking, Lu Buwei’s theories are an amalgamation of the best theories in the world. Despite being on opposing ends, I must admit that he is a true administrative talent.”

Xiang Shaolong insisted: “Brother Li, tell me more about your theories first.”

Li Si joyfully gushed: “My methods are simple and effective. It is known as Three Premiers Nine Ministers administration. There will be a Chief Premier who will manage the majority of the officials and is in charge of politics. The Left Premier shall be renamed the Military Premier who will be in charge of all military affairs. The Right Premier shall be renamed the Administrative Premier who will manage all administrative affairs and inspections. These three Premiers roles do not overlap and they report directly to the Crown Prince.”

Xiang Shaolong was moved. This Three Premier Nine Ministers method is much more appealing and to think that it was Li Si who created it. No wonder his legacy will last for centuries. At the same time, he can sense that Li Si harboured some selfish motives. The Administrative Premier is a role he created for himself in the future. He calmed down after accepting the fact that all men are selfish and seek personal gain at the end of the day.

Li Si continued: “The majority of the nine ministers refers the existing official positions that are already present in the Qin court but with their roles more clearly defined. The three Premiers are in charge of helping the King rule the country and the day to day running of the country is still left to these ministers. They include the Rewards Minister, Ceremonial Minister, Health Minister, Defence Minister, Religious Minister, Entertainment Minister, Transportation Minister, Culture Minister and Construction Minister. The Palace Guards, Imperial Infantry and Imperial Cavalry shall be combined into one army under the control of the Defence Minister. This will avoid the internal conflicts between these three armies.”

Xiang Shaolong can tell that Li Si is putting so much effort into explaining these to him so that he can in turn present them to Xiao Pan.

He was willing to do this favour for Li Si as it is beneficial to Qin too. He nodded: “Brother Li please prepare your work well. When I enter the palace later, I will present these theories to Crown Prince.”

Li Si jumped up for joy: “You are truly my best friend and confidante. If Crown Prince is willing to adopt my theories, all my years of hard work will not be in vain.”

Xiang Shaolong patted his shoulder and left merrily. He is more confident than anyone that this theory will be adopted. Otherwise, he would not have heard about this method when he was still in the 21st century.

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