The Great Qin Empire---Qin Li

"Express your ambition?"

Everyone looked at each other, and no one spoke first.

Heifu simply called out Jing, who was sitting next to him, and said, "My brother, you should talk about your ambition first!"

"Me?"

Jing thought that he could just watch the fun today, but unexpectedly, Heifu called him. Being stared at by everyone, the 18-year-old boy felt a little embarrassed and scratched his head and said, "My ambition... is to graduate from the school, and then, and then marry the lady of the Yan family!"

As soon as these words came out, they immediately attracted a burst of laughter.

Heifu also shook his head helplessly, but he didn't blame his brother. Jing was originally an ordinary young man from the village with no talent. From entering the school to marrying the Yan Zheng family, everything in the past few years was arranged by Heifu. Jing has exhausted all his energy to deal with the unfamiliar environment and knowledge, and it is difficult for him to have other pursuits.

"This is not called ambition."

Hei Fu corrected: "It is something you can easily get in one or two years. Think about it, what do you want to do after this?"

After Jing thought hard, he bowed to Hei Fu and said: "I don't have any big ambitions. I just hope to follow my brother in the future and use what I have learned in the past few years to help my brother!"

Hei Fu did not ask much of his brother, and this was enough. He pointed to Dongmen Bao under Jing and said: "A Bao, what about you!"

"My ambition..."

Dongmen Bao drank a little too much. When asked by Hei Fu, he answered without hesitation: "Give birth to a son!"

"Hahahaha!"

This ambition was so concise that everyone couldn't hold it back and burst into laughter. They remembered Dongmen Bao's expression when he had been talking about it for a whole year and named his son, but found that he had a pair of daughters when he returned home.

Dongmen Bao blushed and cursed: "What are you laughing at! My father died early, and I am the only son in the family. I worked hard on the battlefield to earn the title. If there is no son to inherit, won't the whole generation be gone?"

People stopped laughing at him because Dongmen Bao's worries were normal. The ancients said that there are three kinds of unfilial piety, and the worst is to have no descendants. In the Qin State, having a son or not is not only related to old-age care, but also to the inheritance of the title.

The Qin State has a special "Law of the Successor", which is equivalent to the "Inheritance Law" of this era, which stipulates the inheritance of titles and property.

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

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

This strict regulation has also led to some strange cases. Because the inheritance of titles was also under the jurisdiction of the county lieutenant and county lieutenant, Heifu handled a case when he was the military officer and left historian:

In Jiangling City, there was a man who was born with sexual dysfunction and "could not practice human relations". Of course, he had no son, so he came up with an idea to let his wife have a son with a distant uncle and pretend to be his son. As a result, this matter was reported by the neighbors, so the participants were severely punished and their titles were also stripped...

In addition, in order to keep the title, there are countless examples of adopting relatives' children to pretend to be sons. Therefore, the government is particularly strict in defining the identity of the heir. It must be guaranteed by more than five people, including the village chief, the five elders, and the same five. It is also stipulated that the descendants of those who have committed crimes above "Nai" and those who committed suicide are not eligible to inherit the title...

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

Dongmen Bao is now 26 or 27 years old, and of course he doesn't want to end up without any descendants. It's not wrong to call this his "ambition".

As for his career, Dongmen Bao is very satisfied with his current position as a village patrol. He can show off his power by leading the guards, and his salary is not low. Hei Fu didn't say anything after hearing this, and toasted him to continue working hard...

Next, it was Xiao Tao's turn.

Back then, Xiao Tao's family was the worst among everyone. He was penniless and had no surplus food. He almost became a hired farmer, and he had a half-disabled father. Now, he is no longer a village head, with 50 bows and crossbows under his command, and he is respected. His family has also moved from a remote small village to the county town. For this young man who is satisfied with having enough food, this kind of life is unattainable in the past.

"Tao... Tao is able to have what he has today, I am already... already grateful to the county lieutenant, I only ask to assist the county lieutenant in training the troops with all my strength, I dare not, dare not have any more extravagant hopes!"

He was born with a stutter, which would greatly limit his career. He was satisfied with doing his current job conscientiously and did not have too much ambition.

Hei Fu nodded and looked at Ji Ying. This guy was not smiling frivolously, but was serious for once.

He thought for a moment and said, "I still remember when I first met the county lieutenant, it was in a guesthouse by the Yunmeng Lake, and Xijun was there. The hostess brought her daughter and served Xijun Liang meat, but we only had warm soup. I was very envious at the time, but I just wanted to eat a bite of meat and was looking forward to being served by a woman..."

"But now!"

Ji Ying said proudly, "I am in charge of the postal service of a village, I can eat meat every day, and I have married a new wife. My title has reached the level of a hairpin, and it is not far from the title of a doctor! My ambition is to get the title of a doctor when I reach Xijun's age! Let people respect me as Doctor Jiying!"

Unexpectedly, Ji Ying, who had the least talent among the crowd, had the greatest ambitions. Hei Fu couldn't help but applaud him!

At this time, only Li Xian was left.

Li Xian can be said to be the one with the brightest future. He is now a hairpin and serves as a Weishi. With the death of the patriarch of the Li family, many clan members who were officials were dismissed, and he suddenly became the highest-ranking person in the Li family. In addition, he has the fact that he "saved" Li Ping's wife and children, so the Li family members not only do not hate him, but gradually regard him as the leader. In a few years, he may become the new patriarch of the Li family...

Hei Fu is also a little curious, what kind of ambitions will this capable person have?

On ordinary days, Li Xian would definitely keep his mouth shut, but today everyone reunited, drank until they were drunk, and listened to the ambitions of several people just now. Now he is also eager to try, so he bowed to Hei Fu and said: "If I say it, I hope the county lieutenant will not blame me, and I also hope you two or three will not laugh at me!"

"We all know each other, it's just a casual chat, what's the crime? Just say it!" Hei Fu asked him to speak out boldly!

"Then I'll tell you."

Li Xian bowed to Hei Fu, and when he looked up, his eyes were bright.

"Before I die, I hope to get the current position of the county lieutenant!"

...

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

Li Xian was about to explain, but Hei Fu was not angry but happy: "Li Xian's ambition is good. With your talent, it will be no problem for you to be a county lieutenant in the future!"

Li Xian was greatly encouraged: "Thank you for the good words of the county lieutenant!"

After listening to everyone's ambitions, Hei Fu understood their current situation. People like Jing and Xiao Tao didn't have any clear goals, so they just wanted to follow Hei Fu and help him. Dongmen Bao, who was the most enthusiastic about making achievements in the past, was more satisfied with the status quo after the brutal fight. He only wanted a warm bed for his wife and children. He probably didn't want to fight as hard as he did in the past.

Ji Ying and Li Xian do have their own goals, one is to become a doctor, and the other wants to become a county lieutenant, so they still have reasons to continue to struggle.

However, except for Li Xian who is a little ambitious, in general, everyone has the ambition of ordinary people. In summary, they still can't get rid of three acres of land, two cows, a wife and children, and a warm bed...

"I remember that I learned an article "Zi Lu, Zeng Xi, Ran You, and Gong Xihua Sitting" in my previous life, which talks about Confucius asking his disciples about their ambitions."

"Zi Lu said that he wanted to govern a country with thousands of chariots, so that it would be free from famine and give the people the courage to protect the country. Ran You is willing to govern a state with a square of dozens of miles to make the people rich. Gong Xihua wants to preside over the rituals of sacrifice and alliance, which is the old profession of Confucian scholars."

When Hei Fu first read this article, he didn't feel anything. Now he found that although the ambitions of Confucius' disciples were not exactly the same, they all reached the level of "cultivating oneself, managing the family, and governing the country". The ambitions included personal pursuits and the expectation of making achievements in the world.

This is the gap between the ambitions of the common people and the ambitions of the scholars, but it will be relieved if you think about it for a while. When Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu was in a peaceful time, he only thought about "being a prefect of the imperial guards and marrying Yin Lihua", and was even laughed at by his brother!

Heifu was thinking, but everyone continued: "If Gong Ao was here, what ambition would he have?"

Although Gong Ao was from Yan County, he was also a member of Heifu's small group. They had been comrades for a year, and they still missed each other after not seeing each other for a long time.

"If that guy was here..."

Ji Ying guessed: "He would definitely be arrogant and say that he looked down on any official position!"

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

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

Li Xian remembered something: "I remember when we went north to serve last year, Bu Cheng told the county lieutenant a fortune telling. At that time, he said that the county lieutenant would be the governor of a county in the future. The county lieutenant also said that being a governor of a county was his ambition..."

"Rivers shift with the situation, and people's ambitions will also change with their vision and knowledge."

Hei Fu took a sip of wine and said with a smile: "After experiencing the battle of destroying Wei and attacking Chu, I went to Huaibei in the Central Plains, and entered the county city for half a year. My ambitions have changed a lot!"

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

Looking at their expectant and curious eyes, Hei Fu knew that the atmosphere was almost created. He asked everyone to express their ambitions today. In addition to finding out the current status of his subordinates, he also wanted to re-stimulate their desire to make achievements and pursue profits!

One cannot go far alone in this era. Hei Fu needs someone to follow him all the time!

It's time to brag. Whether it's true or not, wake them up from the gentle land first!

So Heifu said: "When I was in the county government, I was often laughed at by the sons of rich officials because I had no surname."

"Some people suggested that I make one up, while others encouraged me to find a false ancestor among the princes and nobles who had established themselves in the land of Nanjun, and use their surnames to frame myself, to cover up the fact that my family had been savages and commoners for eight generations."

What Heifu encountered, Jing, Jiying, Bao, and Xiaotao had all experienced. Like Heifu, they were born in the countryside without surnames and clan names, and they were often laughed at after becoming officials.

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

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

Hei Fu said: "She said that the emperor established virtue and gave a surname to a person because of his birth, and named his family name after the land he was given! Family names did not exist at the beginning, but in ancient times, after the princes, ministers, and officials made contributions and were granted titles, they took the fiefdom as their surname. For example, Anlu was once the ancient Yun State, so there was the Yun family..."

"Nowadays, it is no longer the era of feudal states, and Qin is no longer a country of kinship and respect. It no longer looks at the origin of ancestors, but grants titles based on military merit. Those who have made great contributions are respected, and rewards are given for their merits, and officials are granted for their abilities. Therefore, I should be proud of the merits I have made with my own hands, and there is no need to be ashamed of not having a family name!"

"Well said!"

As soon as these words came out, everyone was very excited. They really expressed the voice of those who started from humble beginnings. The times have changed. Can the merits and titles earned by their own blood and sweat not be as good as the surnames inherited at birth? Even Li Xian, who is a branch of the Li family, deeply agrees with this.

Heifu waited until everyone finished cheering before he said, "However, I still want to earn a surname for myself. After all, it's not nice to be called Heifu Gongdafu or Heifu Xianwei all the time. It just so happens that I still have such an opportunity in Qin!"

Everyone looked confused, except Lixian, who had a slightly changed expression. He had guessed what Heifu meant.

"That's right."

Heifu drank another cup, threw the cup and laughed, "I don't want to be just a county governor anymore. My ambition now is to be a marquis one day! And not a Guannei Marquis, but a Che Marquis! From this, I will get a fiefdom, and then I will use the fiefdom to name myself a surname! I won't rely on anyone, and I will create a surname with my own hands!"

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

If Heifu's quote from the county governor's daughter just now excited everyone, then his ambition to be a marquis really shocked everyone present.

"Confer the title of Marquis!"

Xiao Tao stuttered for a long time without saying anything, looking at Heifu with admiration, almost kneeling on the ground.

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

Ji Ying, who was satisfied with the title of Doctor in this life, rubbed his eyes. Is this really the "Heifu brother" he met by the Yunmeng Lake?

And Li Xian, who wanted to be a county lieutenant, suddenly felt that his pursuit was nothing compared to Heifu's ambition!

"A title of nobility..."

Jing was speechless for a long time. What Heifu said was beyond his imagination. After a while, he murmured to himself: "Can this... really be done?"

"It can be done!"

Heifu glanced at the people present and patted his chest and said: "Heifu, who has no surname or clan name and was born in the peasants, will use the reward of being a nobility to prove one thing to the world!"

He secretly said in his heart: "Chen Sheng, I'm sorry", and then he said loudly, which should belong to this era of great achievements and profit, and every man should have a bold statement!

"Are dukes, marquises, generals, and ministers of different species?"

...

In the distant Huaibei of Chu State, in an unknown poor village, a Chu youth who was about the same age as Heifu's younger brother Jing was wearing a ragged brown coat and was weeding in the field under the scorching sun. He worked hard and sweated profusely.

After bending over and working for a long time, he suddenly put down his farm tools and showed a trace of depression.

"When will this day end?"

Farming is hard, not to mention that this land is not Chen Sheng's own. Last year, because Yangcheng became a battlefield, Chen Sheng had to move out of his hometown and wander around Huaibei to seek food.

He was separated from his clan and could only work hard as a hired farmhand. At least he settled down here, but no matter whether it was cold or hot, he was called to work as soon as the cockcrowed, and every meal was just porridge and stinky sauce.

Humiliation and unwillingness lingered in the heart of this self-important young man who had lost everything.

When resting on the ridge with the farmers who worked together, everyone drank turbid water and talked about what would happen after the autumn harvest. Most of them were just waiting to die.

, living one day at a time, without any ambition.

Chen Sheng heard this and suddenly felt lost. He stood up and said to everyone: "If you become rich and powerful, don't forget me!"

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

"Chen Sheng, you and I are both hired farmers. It's good enough if we don't starve to death. How can we talk about wealth and power?"

Chen Sheng was humiliated and his face turned red. He turned away and walked to the center of the field amid the mockery of the hired farmers. He looked at the wild geese flying in the western sky. He felt extremely lonely and sighed:

"Alas! How can a sparrow know the ambition of a swan!"