22: Chapter 22 Are the Qin people scrambling to take on corvée labor?

Within a single day, Ying Bu had received the Head of State's grace twice in a row, making him curious about the Head of State.

Ji Bu was a minor leader among the nearly three hundred thousand laborers building the Lishan Mausoleum; he was well-informed and had heard of the Head of State.

He said, "The Head of State is Prince Fusu, who has always been known for his benevolence."

"Prince Fusu allows us to eat our fill; we must work hard for him!"

It wasn't just the corvée laborers at Mount Li who had three meals a day and ate their fill.

Those who were originally building the Epang Palace but were now redirected to dig silt from swamps and produce local fertilizer under the leadership of various Field Attendants also had three meals a day and ate their fill.

Their faces were full of smiles, and they didn't find digging swamps or making local fertilizer hard at all.

For a full meal, they would risk their lives on the battlefield, let alone just digging swamps and making fertilizer.

There were over a million corvée laborers building the Lishan Mausoleum and the Epang Palace.

Among these laborers, many were locals from Xianyang City.

They went to work as laborers in the morning and returned home to sleep at night.

They spread the news that corvée laborers got three meals a day and could eat their fill, and it didn't take long for the people of Xianyang to find out.

Their minds suddenly became active.

"My son eats a lot; I should let him go be a corvée laborer."

"My son is also a glutton; let him go be a corvée laborer too!"

"They aren't accepting more laborers now."

"If you want to be a laborer, you need to have connections."

"Exactly, now if you want to be a laborer, you even have to give gifts!"

...

When a Qin Official was escorting a group of laborers and happened to pass through Xianyang...

Some quick-witted people stepped forward to ask if they were coming to Xianyang for corvée labor.

"Correct."

The Qin Official nodded.

Whether it was building the Epang Palace or the Lishan Mausoleum, it wasn't one single batch of laborers working until completion.

As one batch left, another batch would be brought in to replenish them.

Although Zhao Fusu had announced the abolition of the corvée labor system, there were still many laborer groups on the road.

For instance, this group of over three hundred laborers escorted by this Village Chief was one such case.

The Xianyang commoners surrounding the laborer group had their eyes light up upon hearing this.

They didn't even have fields and made a living as day laborers, living from hand to mouth.

The price of grain in Xianyang was also terrifyingly expensive.

One dan of grain, weighing 120 jin, cost 1,600 coins.

One coin was worth twenty yuan.

One jin of grain cost 266 yuan.

The money they earned wasn't even enough to buy grain!

In this situation, being a corvée laborer and being able to eat one's fill—how great was that temptation!

If one could go to Mount Li to build the mausoleum, it would be even better than having a job in the official establishment. Not to mention three meals a day, they could eat their fill every single meal!

With such a good position, why not rush for it!

They immediately shouted loudly at the laborer group, "If any of you don't want to be laborers, I'll do a one-for-one swap; I'll take your place."

"Me too."

"And me!"

"Don't fight me for it, let me go!"

...

The Xianyang citizens who rushed over were a sea of moving heads, each as excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood, terrified they wouldn't get to be laborers.

The Qin Official was stunned.

Was corvée labor some kind of good job?

Do you really need to fight over it like this!

He sighed inwardly, did the old qin people love being corvée laborers this much!

Although he was a Qin Official, he was from the Chu Region.

Look at that, their level of ideological awareness is so high; no wonder the old qin people could conquer the Six Lands.

In this regard, they couldn't even hope to catch up!

The Village Chief looked at the Qin Official responsible for escorting the laborers.

"It's not impossible."

For him, as long as the number of the three hundred-plus laborers he was escorting was correct and they didn't arrive late, it was fine.

Thus, a large number of Xianyang citizens voluntarily became laborers, leaving him dumbfounded.

Strange and bizarre things continued to play out within Xianyang.

Inside the Xianyang Palace, when Hu Hai learned that he needed to go out into the streets to bear thorns and ask for forgiveness, he was bewildered.

"Wait, did you guys ask for my opinion?"

"What do you mean 'the sins of the father are paid by the son,' making me take off my shirt and carry thorns to apologize to the whole world!"

Hu Hai looked at Li Si and Feng Quji with an agitated expression and said, "Are you serious about this rotten idea!"

Hu Hai was about to cry.

He didn't want to be this lousy emperor at all; he had no power whatsoever.

The corners of Li Si's mouth curled into a smile as he said, "The Head of State said you have the right to cooperate!"

Hu Hai rolled his eyes.

"What if I don't cooperate?"

Li Si said expressionlessly, "The Head of State said if you don't cooperate, you'll be exiled to Shangjun to mine coal for labor reform."

Hu Hai was speechless.

The first time he heard Zhao Fusu mention coal, he didn't even know what it was.

After asking the eunuchs around him, he finally found out what coal was.

Great Qin used coal when smelting bronze implements.

Coal was usually beneath the surface; to mine it, shafts had to be dug, and people would go down the shafts to several or even over ten meters underground to dig.

While mining coal, there would be toxic gases; many people died from toxic gases while mining.

Some even died in collapses while mining underground.

Once Hu Hai knew how dangerous coal mining was, he suspected Zhao Fusu wanted to use it to kill him.

Therefore, Hu Hai was very afraid of being caught by Zhao Fusu to mine coal.

He could only shout again with deep grief, "Teacher, why didn't you take me away from the Xianyang Palace!"

The weather in June and July in Xianyang was somewhat hot.

Hu Hai wouldn't catch a cold even with his shirt off.

He couldn't resist Zhao Fusu and could only be manipulated by Li Si and Feng Quji to go to the streets of Xianyang to bear thorns and ask for forgiveness.

Although Hu Hai had not yet ascended the throne, he already held the title of Crown Prince.

Under Li Si's management, the news that Prince Hu Hai was going to bear thorns and apologize to the people of the world immediately shocked the citizens of Xianyang.

Many people rushed to watch the spectacle.

In the crowd, Xiang Yu, Xiang Liang, and Fan Zeng were there watching the scene.

They stared intently at Hu Hai's face.

It really was Prince Hu Hai!

They had all stayed in the Hall of Sages and had seen Prince Hu Hai when they were with Prince Fusu.

The youth they saw with a bare torso, wearing only shorts and carrying thorns, was indeed Prince Hu Hai.

Xiang Liang's eyes widened.

No way!

Are you kidding me? Making a prospective emperor strip off his clothes and carry thorns to confess his sins to the whole world.

Which minister thought of this idea? It's too wicked. Could the Emperor agree? Wouldn't the Emperor execute any minister who dared suggest this!

Yet, Hu Hai actually complied.

Xiang Liang was extremely shocked.

Fan Zeng was also full of shock.

"Back up, back up!"

Large numbers of the Qin Army were guarding both sides of the street, blocking the curious onlookers.

"I am Hu Hai, the Crown Prince of the Great Qin Empire."

"To conquer the Six Lands, my Imperial Father caused the people of the Six Lands to become displaced. A son pays for his father's debts; I am willing to bear thorns and ask for forgiveness from the people of the world!"

Saying this, Hu Hai followed the instructions of Li Si and others, untied the thorns, knelt on one knee, and held them high.

But no one hit him.

This was a political show; with a large number of the Qin Army blocking the people, who would dare approach Hu Hai?

"Eighteenth Brother."

"Please, rise quickly."

Zhao Fusu helped Hu Hai up.

In his original timeline, Hu Hai was not a good person, but in this timeline, Hu Hai was still just a youth.

The thorns on his back had cut many wounds, and blood flowed freely, staining his back red.

Many of the onlookers were moved upon seeing this.

How could a prospective emperor performing such an act not leave them shaken!

The political show orchestrated by Li Si and Feng Quji was both a performance and a self-injury ruse, designed to reduce the hatred toward the imperial family among the people of the Qin Region and the Six Lands.