Qin Official

"Yan Zhi?"

Everyone looked at each other, pushing one another, but no one came forward to speak first.

Heifu simply called him by name and said to the man sitting next to him: "My brother, please tell me your ambitions first!"

"I?"

Jing thought that he could just watch the fun today, but Hei Fu ordered him. Being looked at by everyone, the 18-year-old boy felt a little embarrassed, scratched his head and said: "My ambition... is to graduate from the school, and then , and then get married to Lady Yan!"

As soon as this statement came out, there was a burst of laughter.

Hei Fu also shook his head helplessly, but he didn't blame his younger brother. Jing Ben was an ordinary young man from the countryside with no talent. From entering the school to marrying the Yan Ying family, everything in the past few years was arranged by Hei Fu. . I have exhausted all my energy to cope with the unfamiliar environment and knowledge, and it is difficult to have other pursuits.

"This is not ambition."

Heifu corrected: "You can easily get it within a year or two. Think about it, what do you want to do after this?"

After thinking hard, he raised his hands to Hei Fu and said, "I don't have any big ambitions. I just hope that I can follow my brother in the future and use what I have learned in the past few years to contribute to my brother!"

Heifu didn't have high demands on his younger brother, so this was enough. He pointed at Dongmen Bao, who was startled, and said, "Ah Bao, where are you!"

"My ambition..."

Dongmen Bao drank a little too much wine. When asked by Heihu, he replied without thinking: "Have a baby!"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

This ambition was so concise and concise that everyone couldn't hold it in anymore and burst into laughter. They remembered Dongmen Bao's expression that he had been talking about it for a whole year and gave his son a good name, only to find out that he had given birth to a pair of daughters when he came home.

Dongmen Bao suppressed his blush and cursed: "Why are you laughing! My father died early, and I am the only son in the family. I earned the title by working hard on the battlefield. If I have no son to inherit it, wouldn't it mean that the whole generation will lose it?" Already?"

Everyone stopped laughing at him, because Dongmen Bao's worries were normal. The ancients said that there are three types of unfilial piety, the greatest of which is not having children. In the Qin State, having children or having no children is not only related to old age care, but also related to the inheritance of titles.

The State of Qin had a special "law of posthumous inheritance", which was equivalent to the "inheritance law" of this era, stipulating the inheritance of titles and property.

In terms of property, when an adult male dies, the first-order heir is his son. If there are several sons, the eldest son takes priority. When there is no son, it is the turn of the deceased's parents, and the wife can also be the heir, after the husband's parents, and finally the deceased's daughter...

But the title was limited to sons or brothers living with the same mother.

Such strict regulations have also led to some bizarre cases. Because matters of title succession are also under the jurisdiction of the county lieutenant and county lieutenant offices, Heifu handled a case when he was serving as the military commander of Cao Zuo:

In Jiangling City, there is a certain person who is born with a congenital dysfunction and "cannot practice human ethics." Of course, there was no son, so he came up with an idea to let his wife have a son with a distant uncle, pretending to be his son. As a result, the matter was reported by neighbors, so all the participants were severely punished, and their titles were also reduced...

In addition, there are countless examples of people pretending to be relatives by adopting children in order to keep their titles. Therefore, the government is particularly strict in defining the identity of the heir. It must be guaranteed by more than five people including Li Dian, Wu Lao, and Tongwu before it can be established. It also stipulates that the descendants of those who have committed crimes of "resistance" or above, and those who have committed suicide are not eligible to inherit. Title...

As a result, Chu's suicide rate ranked first among the seven countries, while Qin's suicide rate ranked last.

Dongmen Leopard is now twenty-six or seven years old, and he is not young at all. Of course he does not want to be left without a descendant, so it is not a bad idea to call this his "ambition".

As for his official career, Dongmen Bao was very satisfied with his current position as a rural tour official. He led the pavilion soldiers to wield swords, and he could show off his authority. His salary was not low. After hearing this, Heifu didn't say anything, and toasted him to continue. Work hard...

Next, it was Xiao Tao's turn.

At that time, Xiao Tao's family situation was the worst among everyone. He was really living in poverty, with no food left over, he was almost reduced to a servant farmer, and he had a semi-disabled father. Nowadays, he is no longer in charge and serves as the commander of the village. He has fifty bows and crossbows under his command and is respected by everyone. The family also moved from a remote small village to the county town. For this young man who was satisfied with enough food, this kind of life was already unattainable in the past.

"Tao... Tao can live today, and he is already... grateful to the county lieutenant. He only wants to fully assist the county lieutenant in training. He doesn't dare to have any more extravagant hopes!"

He was born with a stutter and would be greatly restricted in his official career. He was satisfied with doing the job in front of him conscientiously and had no great ambitions.

Heifu nodded and looked at Ji Ying. This guy didn't have a playful smile, but was serious for a rare moment.

He thought for a while and said: "I still remember that when I first met the county captain, we were in a guesthouse by Yunmengze. Xijun was also there at that time. The owner of the guesthouse brought his daughter and served Xijun with beam meat. But we only had warm soup. I was very envious at the time, but I just wanted to have a bite of meat, and I was looking forward to having a woman to serve me..."

"But now!"

Ji Ying said proudly: "I am in charge of a rural post office. I can eat meat every day. I also married a bride. My title has reached the hairpin and I am not far away from becoming a doctor! My ambition is to reach Xijun's age. , I can get the title of Doctor! Let people respect me as Doctor Ji Ying!"

Unexpectedly, Ji Ying, who is the least talented among the people, has greater ambitions. Hei Fu can't help but praise him!

At this time, only Li Xian was left.

It can be said that Li Xian has the brightest future. He is now a hairpin and serves as a Wei Shi. With the death of the Li clan leader, many clan members who were officials were deposed, and he suddenly became the highest-ranking person in the Li clan. . Coupled with the fact that he had "saved" Rihei's wife and children, the Rishi clan members not only did not hate him, but gradually began to regard him as their leader. In a few years, he might become the new clan leader of the Rishi clan...

Heifu was also a little curious, what ambitions would this capable person have?

On ordinary days, Li Xian would have kept silent, but today everyone was reunited, drinking to their heart's content, and listening to the speeches of a few people just now. Now they were a little eager to give it a try, so they raised their hands to Hei Fu and said, "If I tell you, I hope you can." The county captain, please don’t blame me, and I hope my second and third sons won’t make fun of you!”

"Everyone knows each other and it's just chatting. What's the crime? But there's no harm in talking!" Heifu asked him to speak out boldly!

"Then I'll say it."

Li Xian bowed to Hei Fu, his eyes bright when he raised his head.

"Before I die, I hope to achieve my current status as a county captain!"

…

Everyone was silent for a while, and then they all laughed. Dongmen Leopard patted Li Xian and joked: "Li Xian, you covet the position of county captain, you are so brave!"

Li Xian was about to explain, but Hei Fu was not angry but happy: "Li Xian has a good ambition. With your talent, given time, you can become the captain of a county."

Li Xian was greatly encouraged: "I would like to borrow the county captain's auspicious words!"

After hearing everyone's ambitions, Heifu finally understood their current situation. Jing and Xiaotao didn't have any clear goals, so they just wanted to follow Heifu and help him. For example, Dongmen Bao, the man who used to be most enthusiastic about meritorious service, after the brutal fighting, is more satisfied with the status quo. He just wants his wife and children to be warm, and he probably doesn't want to work as hard as before.

Ji Ying and Li Xian have their own goals. One is to become a doctor and the other is to become a county captain. There are reasons to continue fighting.

However, except for Li Xian, who was slightly ambitious, in general, everyone had the ambition to be the head of Guizhou. To sum it up, I still can’t get rid of three acres of land and two cows, and my wife and children are on the hot bed...

"I remember that I learned an article in my previous life, "Zeng Xiran You Gong Xihua Sitting Attendant," which was about Confucius asking his disciples about their aspirations."

"Zilu said that he wanted to govern a country of thousands of chariots to prevent famine and give the people the courage to protect the country. Ran You wanted to govern a country dozens of miles away and make the people rich. Gong Xihua wanted to preside over sacrifices and ceremonies. The ceremonial work of the alliance can be regarded as the old profession of Confucianism."

Heifu didn't feel much when he first read this article. Now he realizes that although Confucius's disciples have different ambitions, they all reach the level of "cultivating oneself, harmonizing the family and governing the country". The aspirations include personal pursuits and the desire to perform meritorious deeds. Hope.

This is the gap between the ambition of the leader of Guizhou and the ambition of the scholar, but after thinking about it for a while, I feel relieved. When Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu was in troubled times, he only thought of "being an official as the King of Kings, and marrying as a Yin Lihua", and he was laughed at by his brother!

Heifu was thinking there, but everyone continued: "If Gong Ao is here, what ambitions will he have?"

Although Gong Ao is from Yan County, he is also a member of the small group of Heifu. They have been working together for a year. They have not seen each other for a long time and still miss him a little.

"If that guy is here..."

Ji Ying guessed: "He will definitely turn his nostrils upward and say that he despises any official position!"

Everyone laughed. At this time, Jing, who had been listening for a long time, suddenly asked Heifu: "Brother, we have already stated our ambitions, what is your ambition?"

Everyone stopped talking and looked at Heifu. They also wanted to know.

Li Xian remembered something: "I remember last year when we went north to serve, Bu Cheng gave a fortune to the county captain. At that time, he said that the county captain would be a county guard one day. The county captain also said that being a county guard is the right thing to do. My own ambitions..."

"Rivers change according to circumstances, and people's ambitions also change with their vision and knowledge."

Heifu took a sip of wine and said with a smile: "After going through the battle to destroy Wei and attack Chu, travel around Huaibei in the Central Plains, and then enter the county town for half a year, my ambitions have been completely different!"

Everyone was refreshed and wanted to hear what Hei Fu had to say.

Looking at their expectant and curious eyes, Heifu knew that the atmosphere was almost created. Today, he asked everyone to express their ambitions. In addition to finding out the current status of his men, he also wanted to rekindle their thoughts of making merit and profit!

You can't go far alone in this era. Heihu needs someone to follow him all the time!

It's time to brag, whether it's true or false, first scare them out of their gentle country!

So Hei Fu said: "When I was in the county government, because I didn't have a surname, I was often laughed at by the descendants of powerful officials and eunuchs."

"Some people suggested that I make up one at random, while others encouraged me to find a false ancestor among the princes, ministers and officials who had been established in the land of Nanjun, and use his surname to frame myself to cover up the fact that eight generations of my family were savages and common people. "

Jing, Ji Ying, Bao, and Xiao Tao have all experienced what Heifu encountered. Like Heifu, they were born in Guizhou without a surname, and they were often laughed at after becoming officials.

"I also hesitated, until one day, a little woman said something to me! It made me suddenly wake up!"

Everything that happened during the Shangsi Festival is still vivid in my mind.

Heifu said: "She said that when the emperor established virtue, he was given a surname and a surname for his land. The surname was not there from the beginning. It was the ancient princes, ministers, and officials who made meritorious service and were granted the title. Taking the fiefdom as a surname, for example, Anlu was once the ancient Yun Kingdom, and that’s how the Yun family came into existence..."

"Nowadays, it is long past the age of feudal states and the founding of states. The Qin State is not a country where relatives and respecters are respected. They no longer look at the origin of their ancestors, but are awarded military titles. Those who have made great achievements will be respected, and they will be rewarded when they see their merits. Because I will be awarded the official title if I am capable. Therefore, I should be proud of the merits I have made with my own hands, and do not need to be ashamed of not having a family name!"

"well said!"

As soon as this statement came out, everyone was extremely excited. It really expressed the feelings of those who started from humble beginnings. Times have changed. Could it be that the merits earned with hard work are not as good as the surname inherited from birth? ? Even Li Xian, who is a branch of the Li family, deeply agrees.

Heifu waited for everyone to finish cheering, and then said again: "However, I still want to earn a surname for myself. After all, it is not pleasant to be called Heifu Gong, doctor or Heifu county captain. It just so happens that in Qin State, there are still such people Chance!"

Everyone looked confused, except Li Xian whose expression changed slightly, and he had already guessed what Hei Fu meant.

"That's right."

Heifu drank another cup, threw the cup and laughed and said: "I no longer want to be just a county guard. My current ambition is to one day be able to make a meritorious service and become a marquis! And not the Marquis of Guannei, but the Marquis of Che! From this, I can get A food fiefdom. At that time, I will use the fiefdom to give myself a clan! I will not cling to anyone and create a clan with my own hands!"

"I don't want to be someone else's grandson, I want to be the ancestor of Huang Kao!"

If Heifu's words quoted by the governor's daughter just now excited everyone, then his revelation of his ambition to become a marquis really shocked everyone present and was speechless.

"Marquis!"

Xiao Tao stammered for a long time without saying anything. He looked at Hei Fu with admiration and almost fell to his knees.

Dongmen Bao, who was satisfied with just having a son, opened his mouth wide, and his outlook was greatly shocked.

Ji Ying, who was content with getting a doctor all his life, rubbed his eyes. Is this really the "black husband brother" he met on the bank of Yunmeng Ze?

And Li Xian, who wanted to be a county captain, suddenly felt that his pursuit was like a cloud compared to Heifu's ambition!

"Fenghou..."

He was shocked and speechless for a long time. What Heifu said was far beyond his imagination. After a while, he muttered to himself: "Is this... really possible?"

"It can be done!"

Hei Fu glanced at the people present, patted his chest and said: "Hei Fu, who has no surname and no surname, and comes from the ranks of soldiers in the capital of Guizhou, will prove one thing to the world with the reward of becoming a marquis!"

He secretly said in his heart: "Chen Sheng, I'm sorry", and then he said it loudly. It should belong to this great era of pursuing success and profit, and every man should have such heroic words!

"Princes, generals and ministers, would you rather have the seed?"

…

In an unknown poverty-stricken village in Huaibei, the distant state of Chu, a young Chu man, about the same age as Heifu's younger brother Jing, was wearing tattered brown clothes and was hoeing in the fields under the scorching sun. He was working hard. Drenched in sweat.

After bending down to work for a long time, he suddenly put down the farm tools, showing a trace of distress.

"When will this day end?"

Farming is hard work, not to mention that the land does not belong to Chen Sheng. Last year, because Yangcheng was turned into a battlefield, Chen Sheng had no choice but to move out of his hometown and traveled around Huaibei in search of food.

He was separated from the clan and had to work as a servant in the fields. He finally settled down here, but no matter the weather, he was called to work right after the rooster crow, and every meal only consisted of porridge and stinky sauce.

Humiliation and unwillingness linger in the heart of this pretentious young man who has lost everything.

While resting on the ridge with the farmers who farmed with them, everyone was drinking turbid water and talking about things after the autumn harvest. Most of them were just eating and waiting to die, living day by day without mentioning anything. ambition.

When Chen Sheng heard this, he suddenly felt lost. He stood up suddenly and said to everyone: "As long as you are rich and noble, you will never forget each other!"

Everyone was silent for a long time, and then burst into contemptuous laughter.

"Chen Sheng, you and I are both working as servants. As long as we don't starve to death, how can we talk about wealth?"

Chen Sheng was humiliated and blushed. He turned away and walked to the center of the field amidst the ridicule of the cultivators. He looked at the geese flying in the western sky and felt extremely lonely. He took a long breath and said:

"Hey! The sparrow knows the ambition of the swan!"