FVN Chapter 42: Qin Law, Human Heart
Chapter 42: Qin Law, Human Heart
From Xianyang to Shangjun.
According to the group's itinerary, it should have only taken 8 days to reach Fushi, the capital of Shangjun County.
Unfortunately, many things happened in between, which extended the time by a few days.
At this moment, the sun was blazing, and the group had no choice but to rest by the roadside.
"I didn't expect this guy to be such a nice person."
Zou Yun turned his gaze away from the window and glanced casually at Meng Xuande beside him, who was patiently teaching a little kid to read.
Light and shadow danced on his profile, outlining a gentleness quite different from his usual appearance.
"However, I hate brats."
However, when his gaze fell on the child again.
Memories of his past life, of his mischievous children climbing on the roof and tearing off the tiles, flashed into Zou Yun's mind, causing his lips to twitch involuntarily.
"Great Master! Great Master!"
Wei Shuqing's childish shouts instantly broke the silence in the carriage.
He suddenly raised his head, his eyes sparkling with pure joy, and held up the bamboo slip in his hand, bringing it close to Zou Yun's eyes.
"Look...look...my son has learned a new word!"
"Lord Meng, teach the child a new word, saying it's the 'cloud' from the name of the Great Master."
On the bamboo slip, the character "cloud" is crooked and clumsy, like the claw marks left by a fledgling bird learning to walk.
"Master, quickly take a look, how is my son's writing?"
"I don't know how I see it, but if Li Si saw it, he'd probably want to die..." Zou Yun thought to himself.
Looking at the face that kept getting closer to him, and the crooked, scrawled handwriting, Zou Yun lazily lifted his eyelids and hummed a dismissive sound from his nose.
"Hmm, not bad, very good, you've improved. Shuqing, you're great, keep up the good work!"
"Hehe, the Grand Master has praised the young boy! The Grand Master has praised the young boy!"
Wei Shuqing automatically filtered out all the perfunctory remarks, and a bright smile instantly bloomed on his small face, as if he had accomplished a world-shaking feat.
He cheered, like a little animal breaking free from its restraints, and jumped off the train while clutching the bamboo slips.
The small figure nimbly weaved through the parked carriages and horses.
He would hold up the bamboo slips high to everyone he met, displaying them as if they were treasures.
The crisp, cheerful laughter, carried by the wind across the open field, drifted far away.
"Truly childlike in nature."
Feng Zhixue stroked his beard, a gentle smile on his face.
Meng Xuande's gaze followed that energetic figure, but his expression became complicated.
He spoke in a low voice, picking up where Feng Zhixue left off, "Both my parents died at the hands of relatives, compared to a few days ago."
"I actually prefer her current vivacity."
"Why......"
Upon hearing this, the smile on Feng Zhixue's face vanished instantly, replaced by a sigh.
He shook his head and finally fell silent, saying no more.
For a moment, the only sound in the carriage was the wind and sand rattling against the doors and windows, monotonous and desolate.
The brief glimmer of hope brought about by Wei Shuqing was completely swallowed up.
Just then, Zheng Ze suddenly raised his head.
His gaze was sharp, piercing straight at Meng Xuande, and his voice, though not loud, questioned him clearly, word by word.
"There is something I don't understand. As an official of the Qin Dynasty, you are well-versed in the laws, yet you knowingly violated them and overstepped your authority."
"Is this because your esteemed father, as a high-ranking official of the empire, holds a position of great power and influence, and therefore can disregard the laws and norms of Qin?"
This sudden question caused the air inside the carriage to tense up instantly.
No one expected that Zheng Ze, who had always been taciturn, would launch an attack at this moment, and that his target would be Meng Xuande.
Meng Xuande's tall and straight body stiffened slightly, and the color in his face seemed to fade, revealing an unusual paleness.
Silence. It lingered for a moment in the small space.
After a long silence, he finally raised his eyes, meeting Zheng Ze's gaze, and said hoarsely, "I... I didn't think about these things, I just..."
His Adam's apple bobbed, as if he wanted to explain something, but then he suddenly stopped.
In the end, he just shook his head and swallowed his words.
When he spoke again, Meng Xuande's face already showed a hint of determination, "After this trip is over, I will definitely meet with Your Majesty in person and ask Your Majesty to punish me."
"Oh!"
Zheng Ze sneered, but the unspeakable expression on his face made it unclear whether he was mocking Meng Xuande or himself.
"Alright, alright, Lord Zheng, Lord Meng."
Seeing the atmosphere turn icy, Feng Zhixue quickly put on his usual warm demeanor and tried to smooth things over, saying, "Since it has already happened, let's not say anything more about it."
His gaze swept back and forth between the two men's faces, trying to ease the tense atmosphere.
Zou Yun remained silent throughout, leaning against the carriage wall with his eyes slightly lowered, as if he were detached from the matter.
He listened silently to their argument, seemingly resting with his eyes closed, but his thoughts were actually drifting back to that afternoon a few days ago.
-----------------
That day, the setting sun dyed the sky blood red.
Zou Yun and his entourage arrived at a certain place near a gathering place.
As dusk approaches, it should be a peaceful time with wisps of smoke rising from chimneys and people hurrying home.
At this moment, it was torn apart by a mournful cry.
The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and saw a well-dressed tycoon roughly dragging a thin, bony child.
The rough action was like dragging a lifeless piece of cargo, forcefully pulling it into a small courtyard.
Dust swirled around the struggling little figure.
The villagers watching looked on with reluctance and fear, but they just shrank back, and no one dared to step forward and say a word.
Upon seeing this, Meng Xuande's eyes widened in fury, his hand already on the hilt of his sword, and a murderous aura suddenly erupted.
However, an elderly villager with white hair and beard stepped forward tremblingly and whispered about the family's plight.
It turns out that the powerful clans who occupied this area were well aware of the severity of the Qin laws.
They neither beat nor rob, nor commit vigilante justice, yet they are far more insidious than outright bandits.
"Household tax", "corvée labor", "land tax", "financial penalties", "pollution tax"...
These seemingly legitimate Qin laws, like a malignant boil clinging to the bone, relentlessly exploited this family of three.
Forced conscription of soldiers to distant frontiers and forced labor, early collection of taxes, and false accusations of unpaid grain rations...
Every step is done in accordance with laws and regulations!
Qin law was also strict and ruthless; if taxes were owed, land would be confiscated, and if corvée labor was overdue, fines would be imposed.
Therefore, under this "legal" exploitation with layers of accountability and interconnected links.
The village officials tacitly approved, the village head affixed his seal, and all the official documents were complete; every procedure was entirely in accordance with the laws of the Qin court.
In the end, all the farmland was seized, and the grain and livestock were confiscated.
The couple, unable to endure the relentless hardship and extortion, died one after the other from illness and freezing at home.
The entire process was conducted in accordance with the law from beginning to end.
Not a single instance of vigilante justice!
There was absolutely no violation of the law!
Finally, in accordance with the Qin law of five households, orphans without relatives or households were reduced to slaves and concubines, taken in and managed by the village and their property confiscated and made servants in the village.
They were forced to work for the powerful clans and were forever condemned to a lowly status.
This!
It is also explicitly stated in the law!
After hearing this heart-wrenching accusation, the convoy came to a standstill in deathly silence.
An indescribable chill crept into everyone's heart.
All the soldiers' gazes, like burning embers, were fixed on Meng Xuande and Zou Yun.
Everyone was waiting.
At their command, these courageous men would draw their swords without hesitation and right injustice.
The veins on the back of Meng Xuande's hand, which was gripping the sword hilt, bulged, and his knuckles cracked as if he were about to crush the hilt at any moment.
He stared intently at the courtyard gate, his chest heaving violently, as if a raging fire was burning within him.
but!
All that could be heard was silence!
There was only suffocating silence, the sound of wind whipping up sand and dust that lashed against the cart shafts, and the wails of children in the orphanage.
The only thing missing was the sentence they wanted to hear.
"Aren't you going to do anything about it?"
Zou Yun's voice finally broke the suffocating silence.
His tone was unusually calm, as calm as a bottomless, icy pool, without the slightest ripple.
But all he received in response was silence.
Meng Xuande's Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty, as if he had swallowed a red-hot iron.
He abruptly withdrew his fiery gaze, swung his arm down with tremendous force, and squeezed out a single word through clenched teeth.
"Walk!"
The group exchanged glances, unwilling to reach their peak at this moment.
Despite the imposing Qin laws, no one dared to utter a word of rebuttal in the extremely oppressive atmosphere.
The charioteer cracked the whip, the wheels rolled, and the horses' hooves pounded the ground.
The sound of hurried travel churned through the dust and the cries of children as the vehicle slowly drove away from the village.
The wheels rumbled on and on for a long time, until the sound of crying was completely drowned out by the wind.
Meng Xuande seemed to have exhausted all his strength, and said in a hoarse voice, "The Great Qin has a law that prohibits anyone from overstepping their duties and violating the law outside of their responsibilities."
The sound didn't seem to come from his mouth at all; it was more like the harsh noise of sandpaper being rubbed together.
"Yeah......"
Zou Yun responded indifferently, raised his hand and lowered the small wooden window, shutting out the desolation outside the car.
He no longer looked at Meng Xuande, nor did he speak.