Chapter 54: Was I wrong...

"Young man, take a break, take a break!" An elderly farmer nearby could no longer bear to watch.

He walked over, grabbed Fusu, and asked, "What are you doing?"

"An old man like me has nothing to give you, stop working!"

Fusu wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked with a smile, "Old man, where are the other members of your family?"

The old farmer sighed and said, "My eldest son was killed in the war."

"My second son went to build the Great Wall, and my third son froze to death last year!"

"My wife starved to death during the famine, and there is nothing else left."

Hearing this, Qin Shi Huang stepped closer as well and said, "I see you are quite robust. You must have been a soldier in the past!"

The old farmer nodded with a smile and said, "I was, I was!"

"Back in the day, this old man even beheaded several enemies!"

Qin Shi Huang's eyes lit up as he said, "Since you have military merits, the military stipends issued by the imperial court, along with the pension for your son, should be enough for you to live on. Why are you still here..."

Hearing this, the old farmer fell silent.

Fusu said nothing and waited quietly.

With a completely lifeless look in his eyes, the old farmer said, "The corvée labor is heavy and the taxes are harsh. Although we had a few good years, as time went on, it is still not enough to eat!"

At these words, Qin Shi Huang's eyes narrowed, and he said nothing more.

With a cold expression, he headed toward the distant village.

Along the way, Qin Shi Huang questioned several more people who were working.

Even a young man working in the fields was gaunt from hunger, and it was said he had spent all his savings just to bribe the village head so he wouldn't have to perform corvée labor!

This made Qin Shi Huang's expression even more unsightly.

Until Qin Shi Huang walked into the village.

Only then did he discover that able-bodied young men were almost entirely absent from the village, which was populated mostly by the elderly, the weak, the sick, and the disabled.

Moreover, the sanitation in the village was poor, and many people were very thinly clad.

When Qin Shi Huang finally entered the home of an old woman, he saw them boiling a pot of tree bark soup and actually eating it with relish.

This completely shattered Qin Shi Huang's psychological defenses!

He looked at Fusu and snapped harshly, "Is this all arranged by you?"

Too lazy to argue with Qin Shi Huang, Fusu waved his hand and said, "Wang Li, distribute some of our remaining food!"

"Remember, do not give out too much—one dou of millet per person for each household!"

Hearing this, Wang Li was somewhat reluctant.

Wang Ruonan simply glared at him, and Wang Li immediately beamed and said, "Understood, Your Highness, please wait a moment!"

Fusu shouted directly, "Everyone, we are employees of Sunan Paper Mill in Xianyang City. We have come down to the countryside this time just to bring everyone some food."

"We hope you will all support Sunan Paper Mill in the future, and if you meet other employees of Sunan Paper Mill, please treat them kindly as well!"

Fusu stated his purpose.

Amidst the bewildered expressions of the crowd, small bags of millet wrapped in paper were handed out one by one.

The moment these villagers saw the millet, their eyes instantly lit up.

Grinning broadly, they took the millet and ran back home.

Fusu had the four characters "Sunan Paper Mill" written on every bag of rice, both to promote brand awareness and to prepare for future expansion across the entire nation.

Watching this scene, Qin Shi Huang's face turned gloomy.

He cursed angrily, "Zhao Gao!"

"Is Fusu just putting on a show?"

"The military stipends I issue every year to the families of soldiers who died in battle are by no means a small amount!"

匈 "And I look after those veterans every year as well. How is it possible that they don't even have enough to eat???"

Sweat poured profusely from Zhao Gao's forehead, and he had no idea what to say.

Suddenly, Qin Shi Huang paused in his steps. At the entrance of the village, he saw an old man lying motionless in a pile of hay.

The old man was missing half a leg.

From his exposed skin, numerous scars left by sword wounds could be seen.

Qin Shi Huang stared blankly at this old Qin native, and his mind suddenly began to buzz.

Seeing that Qin Shi Huang had been standing still for a long time, Fusu walked over as well. Upon seeing the dead Qin native, Fusu immediately waved his hand and said, "Come here, a few of you."

And so, chosen under Fusu's direction, they selected a spot with fairly decent geomantic properties and buried the old man.

Qin Shi Huang stood before the earthen mound, fury rising in his eyes.

He glared at Feng Jie and roared, "Someone must have embezzled my pensions!"

"It must be them!!!"

Terrified out of his wits, Feng Jie hurriedly spoke up, "Your Majesty, it is this subject's dereliction of duty. This subject is guilty, guilty!"

Qin Shi Huang paid Feng Jie no further mind, turned away from the village, and continued walking into the distance.

The surrounding villages were not very densely distributed.

Qin Shi Huang walked for quite a while before discovering another village.

This village was considerably better off.

However, basically every household still suffered from hunger and cold. It was said that this village had once produced a great Confucian scholar, so under the care of the local magistrate, it was not quite as miserable.

Along the way, Qin Shi Huang questioned many people and had heart-to-heart talks with numerous old Qin natives.

Yet the results he obtained were far from satisfactory.

Until they arrived at an aristocratic estate.

Looking from afar, Qin Shi Huang saw that the estate was bustling with activity. Drawing closer, he saw that today was the birthday of the aristocratic lord; the estate was adorned with colorful lanterns and banners, and the rich fragrance of food filled the air.

Faint scents of meat even drifted across.

Watching this scene, Qin Shi Huang glanced back at the distant villages.

These two places felt like completely different worlds, forming a stark contrast.

Qin Shi Huang walked a bit closer and saw numerous carriages parked before the grand gates of the estate.

A little further away, several ragged women were prostrate on the ground, begging for food.

Some passersby hurried past without even sparing them a glance, while others, taking a fancy to a young girl, would pull out silver coins on the spot and buy her.

And the family that had just sold their daughter would kowtow in kowtowing gratitude.

This...

Qin Shi Huang stood frozen in place, dazed and unable to take another step forward.

"The vermillion gates of the rich reek of wine and meat, while on the road lie the bones of those who froze to death!" Seeing this, Fusu sighed deeply with emotion.

To be honest, this was also his first time coming out to see the reality.

In truth, without even thinking, conditions were still relatively acceptable here in the outer ring of Xianyang City, where these people were at least managing to stay alive.

In even more remote places, people were undoubtedly living harder lives and dying in greater numbers.

Especially the slaves, who worked themselves to death every day yet still lacked enough to eat.

"The vermillion gates of the rich reek of wine and meat, while on the road lie the bones of those who froze to death!" Qin Shi Huang muttered to himself, repeating the verse Fusu had recited.

Meng Yi and the others fell silent as well.

They were more or less aware of such situations, but when witnessing them firsthand, it was still somewhat unbearable to behold.

"Fusu!"

"This son is here!"

Qin Shi Huang pressed his hands on Fusu's shoulders and said in a low voice, "Did I make a mistake..."

"I never expected that the Five Arts of Governing the People would..."

Fusu shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, you made no mistake!"

"It was you who united this realm, you who gave these people hope, and you who changed their deeply ingrained perceptions..."

"Yet, Father, there is still much you must do!"

"In the past, only by fighting wars could one survive. Everyone followed you into battle, defeating the six states and conquering this realm."

"Now, there are no wars to fight, and they need a new path forward!"

Qin Shi Huang looked at Fusu and saw in his eyes an ultimate calmness and wisdom.

Finally, Qin Shi Huang abruptly shoved Fusu away, pointed at him, and roared, "What must our Great Qin do now to let them continue living, to live... like human beings!!!"

These are all people of Great Qin!!

Qin Shi Huang roared inwardly, his eyes already burning red!

Fusu did not answer, because he knew Qin Shi Huang already had the answer in his heart.

He simply didn't want to admit it yet!