After Zhang Lu and Zheng Anping met at Lantian County Guanyi, they chatted all night until the rooster crows.
Zhang Lu is going to court. Since he currently does not have a title or his own residence, he theoretically still lives in Guanyi. However, a room was found for him in Xianyang Palace so that he could handle the work of the Prime Minister's Palace.
Before the Yi Qurong issue was resolved, Qin Prime Minister Wei Ran personally took charge of Wangyi Palace, while Lord Jingyang and Lord Gaoling were further forward, sitting in Jingyang and Gaoling respectively. Now the problem of Yiqu has been generally solved, and the boundaries of Yiqurong have been classified as Beidi County. Since Wei Ran left the capital and specifically established Beidi County and Longxi County, and Huayang Jun and other four people acted for Wei Ran, the King of Qin took the initiative and changed the office location of the Prime Minister's Office to Xianyang Palace, which is close to various government agencies. , which can improve work efficiency when there is no threat of war. Zhang Lu participated in the work of the Prime Minister's Office as a guest minister, mainly to familiarize himself with various laws and regulations of the Qin State and to get to know the upper and lower personnel of various offices. Since Guanyi was relatively far away, a room was arranged for him to rest in Xianyang Palace. ——In fact, Zhang Lu has used it as his residence in the past two months and has never returned to Guanyi.
In fact, Zhang Lu was promoted from Baiyi to doctor by the King of Qin because of his contribution to the construction of the Yi Canal. Now that he was a guest of the King of Qin, the title of doctor became useless. According to Qin law, the title can be downgraded by two levels and transferred, but it cannot exceed that of a doctor. Zhang Lu planned to give up his title of Grand Duke and demote him two levels so that Zheng Anping could be awarded the title of Hairpin Niao. This would allow Zheng Anping to be allocated 300 acres of cultivated land and a residence the size of three houses, which would allow him to build a courtyard with two entrances.
He did not express his thoughts, but simply told Zheng Anping to stay in Lantian for a few days, and then move to Xianyang after he arranged accommodation in Xianyang. Then he hurriedly led the guards back to Xianyang to go to court. When he came back in the evening, Zhang Lu happily asked Zheng Anping: "How virtuous are you when you go into the wilderness in Nanyang? You enter with force, and you are good at both chariot and archery!"
Zheng Anping took out his name book and showed it to Zhang Lu. Zhang Lu said: "You are given a noble hairpin, three hectares of land, and three houses. Is that okay?"
Zheng Anping said: "My lord has seen the gift, how dare I accept it!"
Zhang Lu said: "It was not given by me, but by Qin Law."
During dinner, Zhang Lu informed everyone about Zheng Anping's promotion and hairpin, and asked everyone if there was any difficulty in cultivating the three hundred acres of arable land. Wuwang first said that there was no difficulty. Zhang Lu told everyone present that after entering Qin's countryside, they must participate in local legal training, otherwise they will easily get into trouble in Qin.
Zhang Lu handed Zheng Anping a slip, which briefly read: "The Zheng clan of Jin Dynasty has a hairpin in Anping, the fields and houses are in accordance with the rules, and the internal history is arranged." Then he pointed out the location of the internal history mansion.
After the rooster crows the next day, Zhang Lu goes to court as usual. Zheng Anping did not have the order to be greeted by a bus this time, nor was he qualified to take Zhang Lu's car back to Xianyang. He had no choice but to follow Zhang Lu's car and walk to Xianyang.
After arriving in Xianyang, according to Zhang Lu's instructions, Zheng Anping found the Neishi Mansion and presented the decree from the Prime Minister's Mansion. The doorman sent him into the mansion and brought Zheng Anping in when he was young. Nei Shi simply checked his identity and ordered Nei Shi Cheng to act according to the law. Nei Shicheng took Zheng Anping behind the screen and led him to Hu Cao's banquet. Hu Cao had already delivered the document to the Prime Minister's Mansion yesterday and took it out today. After checking the two documents, he asked: "Do you want to cultivate grass or cultivate fields?" "
Zheng Anping kept an eye on it and asked: "What can we do if we cultivate grass? What can we do if we cultivate fields?"
Hu Cao said: "Those who cultivate grass cultivate and feed themselves, but they are in the wilderness; those who cultivate the fields are cultivated by others and can be restored, and they are all taxed."
A simple answer cannot give a clear opinion. Zheng Anping regretted why he didn't ask Zhang Lu what he should choose. He wanted to ask again, but was sensitive to the fact that Hu Cao was already a little impatient. He wisely stopped and replied resignedly: "Grass!"
Hu Cao asked: "How many family members are there?"
Zheng Anping replied: "The wife is a slave, the middle concubine is Gai Nie, the concubine is five prosperous, the guest is Wuwei, and Chen Si." After Hu Cao finished writing one by one, he said: "In five days, I will come to the house to pay homage to you!" and gave Zheng Anping a Jie Fu, let him come back in five days. Zheng Anping took the talisman and left the Neishi Mansion. Seeing that it was still early, Zhang Lu couldn't possibly get off work now, so he returned to Lantian Pavilion alone.
After returning to Guanyi, he told everyone what happened today, but no one knew which one was better. Go out and chat with the postman, casually asking him which one is better. The post official replied without hesitation: "You are right. If you cultivate grassland and return it to yourself, there will be a winner. It is the same as the military merits, and it will win more than cultivated fields!" Everyone asked me about my words, and finally understood, The so-called "cultivating grass" means reclaiming wasteland by yourself. The government will give you three hundred acres of wasteland to cultivate, and the harvest at the end of the year will belong to you except for paying taxes. Mature fields are acres that have been cultivated by others. These cultivated lands are cultivated by others. Choosing mature fields is actually collecting rent. It's fine if the title is high, but the hairpin is small, and the house can only be opened to three households, and the rent collected is just enough to feed one person. Understanding this made Zheng Anping very happy: he had an idea, but it turned out to be wrong!
When Zhang Lu came back in the evening, Zheng Anping told Zhang Lu about the matter. Zhang Lu said repeatedly: "Wrong, wrong, wrong! You will follow me to dig a road far away, and you will not be able to get through the fields. Three hundred acres of wasteland, waste. The work is futile, how can you get the best out of it!" He said so bluntly that Zheng Anping was speechless. Finally, Wu Wang said: "Although I am young, I have difficulty in doing other things. I work hard on the land and dare not be lazy. It is the middle of summer. If I can get the land, I am willing to help you during the period and do my best to do it as soon as possible."
Zhang Lu saw that the matter had come to this point, and it was useless to talk more, so he could only muddle along. At worst, all the harvest is taxed! However, he repeatedly told Zheng Anping that once he received the land and registered his household registration, he must diligently study the laws of Qin. Otherwise, not only would it be difficult to build a successful career, but the flowers would be too small if the buttocks were spread, and it would be commonplace to cut off the nose, chop off the hands, etc. No, I can’t even keep a few points. Qin's laws were strict and had been passed down to the six kingdoms for a long time. Several men nodded in agreement solemnly, and only the slave blushed.
Five days later, Zheng Anping came to the Neishi Mansion again. This time, he brought Mang Wei, Chen Si, and Wu Wang, leaving only Xiao Nu and Gai Nie to look after the house. Hu Cao took Zheng Anping and his party to a wasteland designated for him. It is more than twenty miles east of Zhangtai Palace and about twenty miles south of Fenghao, the former capital of Emperor Zhou. It was once the capital of Emperor Zhou. With the defeat of Emperor Zhou, it declined into a wasteland with ruins everywhere. , all the water conservancy facilities that once existed were abandoned. The east bank of Fengshui River is almost completely developed into fertile farmland, while the west bank is mainly wilderness. In order to open up the west bank, Qin Neishi built a bridge on Fengshui River and brought it under the control of Huaili in Gaoqiu. It was probably the place where Emperor Zhou executed prisoners in the past. Xiang Shifu and Li Shifu were also called to witness the land allocation.
Zheng Anping picked a section of wasteland near Fengshui. Under the command of the villagers and Lisef, a group of people took measuring tapes, measured out 300 acres of land, and drove stakes at the head of the field. Zheng Anping felt that this wasteland was better than the land in Guanyi. Although the water conservancy facilities had been abandoned, it would not be difficult to reorganize them. If you work carefully, the harvest will not be spoiled. Wu Wang could hardly hold himself back and was about to go to work in the fields.
Xiang Shifu and Li Shifu took them to Huaili on the east bank of the river. Since Zheng Anping's title is Hairpin, this is a title that can serve as the head of a pavilion, and his status is comparable to that of Li Shifu. At the west end of Huaili, opposite to the inner length, a place for three houses was set aside to build a new house for him. While waiting for the new house to be built, all men taller than six feet five inches must study Qin law in the rural school.
After agreeing on a time with the countryman, Zheng Anping returned to Guanyi and told Xiao Nu and Gai Nie about the situation. Although Gai Nie is young and has just started to change his voice, he has a strong body and is already over 6 feet 5 inches tall. He is also on the way to school. As a result, Xiaonu was the only one left in Guanyi.
The construction of Zheng Anping's residence started, and Zheng Anping and five other people also entered the rural school and began to study Qin law.
The legal class is taught by Xiang Wei, the township's legal commissioner. Xiangwei has to go to the county (in Xianyang, Neishi Prefecture) regularly every year to review the legal content and conduct assessments. When he returns to the village, he is responsible for popularizing the legal provisions to the villagers; if the villagers break the law because they do not understand the law, the township captain must bear joint and several liability.
Zheng Anping began to think that Qin's law must have strict and ruthless provisions, but after a few days, Zheng Anping felt at ease. It turns out that Qin's laws not only stipulate prohibited content, but also include a large number of reasonable behavioral guidance, comparing how many seeds should be sown per acre of land, how harvested grain should be stored, how iron tools should be used, and even how cattle should be controlled for farming... In short, all economic and military knowledge is within the scope stipulated by Qin law. All Qin people's lives must be carried out in the most reasonable and efficient way. Any slight deviation will be punished.
It’s not just about learning the legal provisions, but actually doing it – it’s actually a practical class. Zheng Anping and the five of them happened to form a team. Under the guidance of the Xiang Wei, they learned to fight in battle and formation. At this time, Gai Nie was particularly excited and often risked his own life, so he easily overran and was hit hard by the board. A hard slap on the butt.
Both Zheng Anping and Mang Wei had served in the army, and Chen Si was also preparing to apply for the martial arts examination, so they had a good foundation; only Wuwang was worse. When he was in Donghongli, he had played battles with his friends, but how could he be familiar with the details of the military formation? , often get slapped.
There are also farming skills, skills in controlling cattle to plow fields...these practical lessons are Wuwang's favorite, and they are conducted on the land just assigned to them. In order to learn the skill of driving cattle, Xiang Wei actually rented a cow, harnessed it to Lei Chu, and went to plow the land deeply. There is no cost to rent a cow, but you have to bear the responsibility of raising the cow. If the cow becomes thin, you will be punished, and if the cow dies, you will have to pay compensation. There are legal provisions. What is most novel to Zheng Anping is that farmers are allowed to rent iron farm tools, and if the farm tools are worn out, as long as they hand in the damaged farm tools, not only will they not be punished, but they can also be replaced with a new one unconditionally! Free cattle, free iron tools, this is simply a blessed land for farmers!
