Chapter 4: Becoming an Apprentice

  In the blink of an eye, Fu Su is already five years old. For some reason, Fu Su has grown much taller and bigger than children of the same age, looking like a seven or eight-year-old. Moreover, little Fu Su is no longer the only child of Ying Zheng, as in just a few years, he has gained five or six brothers and sisters, including a younger brother, Ying Ji, born to his mother, Zheng Feng. As the eldest son of the royal family, Fu Su has now reached the age where he should receive orthodox imperial education!

  According to the Qin Zong Shi law, the crown prince or the eldest son of the king at the age of five should receive basic education in poetry, books, etiquette, music, archery, charioteering and swordsmanship. At the age of twelve, they would undergo nurturing education, studying subjects such as politics, economics, military tactics, criminal law and other deeper studies. Additionally, according to their interests, they could also study more profound subjects such as astronomy, geography, and various schools of thought. At the age of fifteen, they would receive individualized education, with different levels of training for the crown prince, eldest son, younger sons, etc. The training received by the crown prince and eldest son was particularly strict, with a senior teacher instructing them in imperial studies; a mentor guiding their moral development, managing their daily life, and etiquette for diplomatic occasions; and a bodyguard responsible for their physical health and safety.

  When the Zhongzheng who was in charge of the imperial clan affairs asked King Ying Zheng about how to educate Fu Su, Ying Zheng, who had high expectations for Fu Su, hesitated for a moment! In the end, he decided that Fu Su's basic education and moral education would not be taught by someone from the imperial clan, but by his own teacher, a wise and knowledgeable scholar known as 'Zhong Yin Old Man'.

  As the enlightenment teacher of Ying Zheng in Handan, 'Zhong Xian Old Man' had a huge impact on Ying Zheng. If Gong Sun Yu was the only true love of Qin Wang Ying Zheng's life, then 'Zhong Xian Old Man' was the only person Ying Zheng respected in his life.

  Long before Ying Zheng ascended to the throne, he had already brought 'Zhong Xian Laoren' to Qin State and built a rustic garden house in a corner of the palace according to the old man's wishes. From then on, this garden house, which was out of place among the grand buildings around it, became a forbidden area within the palace, where no one dared to set foot without the permission of the King of Qin. And every time Ying Zheng encountered difficulties in handling state affairs, he would go to consult with the old man in a humble manner. Therefore, in almost every major action taken by King Ying Zheng, there was a glimpse of the old man's wisdom.

  For this second-generation emperor's teacher, who had extremely few writings in history and had an extremely mysterious color, Fu Su was filled with strong curiosity! Unfortunately, without the permission of Qin Wang's old father, even Fu Su did not dare to step into the small residence, let alone know that outside the small residence were densely packed with Hu Ben soldiers, which were not vegetarian!

  So when the King of Qin informed Fu Su that he had decided to make 'Zhong Yin' Old Man his teacher, Little Fu Su was overjoyed. This was a legendary hermit comparable to 'Guiguzi' and 'Sunzi'. On the way to the small villa in the fields, Little Fu Su began to ask Ying Zheng questions nonstop on the imperial carriage.

  "Father king, why does the teacher call himself 'Zhong Yin Old Man'?"

  "That's because the old man (Qin Wang Zhengyi always referred to his father as 'old dad' out of respect) thought that a small hermit lives in seclusion in the countryside, a medium hermit lives in seclusion in the city, and a great hermit lives in seclusion at court. He felt that being a small hermit was too dull and being a great hermit was too troublesome, so he chose to be a medium hermit, which is why he called himself 'Medium Hermit Old Man'!"

  "Oh, I see! So, Father King, I've heard that Teacher has many disciples. Do you know who they are?"

  "Oh, the old man wouldn't say much more. The king only knew a little about a few of them: for example, the king and your grandfather King Zhao were his disciples, the famous general of Zhao State Li Mu was also his disciple, and the 'Butcher' who was a heroic outlaw in the Yan and Zhao regions was also one of the old man's disciples. As for the others, I don't know anything about them!"

  ……

  Perhaps today, the winner's mood is good, so he chatted with Fu Su for so long. And little Fu Su was more and more surprised: Oh my god, among the four people who knew, which one wasn't a famous figure? During the Qin Zhao Wang period, they eliminated over 1 million troops from the six countries, annihilating the elite of the three strongest countries, Wei, Chu, and Zhao, laying the foundation for Qin Shi Huang's unification of the six countries! As for Qin Shi Huang himself, he was the emperor who unified China for thousands of years! Li Mu, a general of Zhao Guo, was also a famous general in Chinese history: defeated the Xiongnu, retreated from the Qin army, and was an undefeated general! Even the "Butcher" from the streets was a hero of his time, renowned for his swordsmanship in Yan and Zhao! The other disciples who haven't appeared yet must have many outstanding figures too! For a moment, Fu Su was filled with even more curiosity about this 'middle-aged old man'!

  As they chatted, the old man's humble abode was soon in sight! More than a hundred paces away from the residence, Ying Zheng ordered the sedan chair to be lowered and dismissed his attendants, proceeding with Fu Su on foot towards the residence.

  Among the knocking sounds of "de, de", a 13 or 14-year-old boy with a small braid opened the courtyard door. Qin Wang asked in an unusually gentle and soft voice: "Qing'er, is Father home?" Qing hurriedly replied: "Reporting to Your Majesty, Father is home! He has been waiting for you for a long time!"

  Ying Zheng nodded and followed Qing into the courtyard.

  Fu Su's eyes darted around as he entered the small courtyard for the first time: The yard was filled with all sorts of flowers, grasses and vegetables, emitting a refreshing scent mixed with the smell of soil; A humble main house with two ordinary side wings, decorated in an unassuming manner. Fu Su couldn't help but feel a sense of temporal disorientation: In this majestic Qin palace, there existed such a serene place, truly breathtaking!

  As soon as he entered the main room, Fu Su caught sight of the 'Zhong Yin Old Man' sitting on a soft couch. The old man was tall and slender, with a strong and upright posture; his face was square and broad, with kind eyebrows and eyes; although his hair and beard had long since turned completely white, his complexion was still very rosy, looking like he had an air of immortality about him!

  Fu Su calculated the old man's age, and since he could be his own great-grandfather's teacher, it was estimated that his age was almost ninety! He couldn't help but secretly stick out his tongue: "Wow, this old grandpa has lived a really long life, enough to win a longevity championship in this world! It seems that he must have mastered the art of nourishing life, otherwise he wouldn't be able to live for so long!"

  But then, Zheng saw that the old man was respectfully kneeling on a cushion, and he lightly said: "Old father, Zheng has brought Fu Su to you! Please accept him as your apprentice!" The 'Hidden Old Man' did not respond for a moment, but only smiled and looked up and down at Fu Su.

  Ying Zheng found it strange, looked up and saw Xiao Fu Su still standing upright in the same spot, staring foolishly at the old man. Ying Zheng's face was somewhat unbearable, and he said angrily: "Daring rebellious son, why don't you kneel down and kowtow to your master!"

  Fu Su finally came to, saw the angry and majestic Qin Wang, and was so scared that he quickly knelt down on the ground and said: "Your child Fu Su greets his ancestor, please accept me as your apprentice!" He looked up at the old man with eager eyes.

  Such a great teacher was hard to come by even in the Warring States period, Fu Su didn't want to let him go!

  The old man looked at the clever and lovely little Fu Su, his white eyebrows slightly trembling, and smiled slightly: "This child's appearance is extraordinary, looking steady and calm too. Zheng Er, Fu Su's talent is very good!"

  Ying Zheng was overjoyed and said, "Thank you, old master, for your praise!" The old man smiled and said, "You don't have to be so happy yet. You know my standards for accepting disciples. If he can't answer my three questions, no matter how much you plead with me, it will be of no use!" Ying Zheng knew that the old man would always conduct a strict test before accepting a disciple, so he hastily nodded and said, "Don't worry, Fu Su has been exceptionally clever since childhood. You can rest assured and ask your questions!"

  The old man smiled and said: "First question, let's see how you choose to answer it: If there was only one pear next to you, but your younger brother really wanted to eat that pear, what would you do?"

  Fu Su thought for a moment and said: "It's simple, brother should give in to younger brother, let him have the pear!"

  "Why?" The old man asked with a smile!

  Fu Su blinked and said: "First, he is my brother, I should take care of him and let him be. Second, on these trivial matters that have nothing to do with the overall situation, one should be humble!"

  The old man nodded and continued: "Alright, second question: If you were to cross a single-log bridge, with raging water below, and when you reached the middle of the bridge, a wolf appeared in front of you. When you wanted to retreat, you found a tiger behind you, what would you do?"

  Fu Su's face turned serious as he thought for a moment, then firmly said: "Jump into the water! My small body is weak, and whether it's against wolves or tigers, I'm sure to die. But I can swim, jumping into the water at least gives me some hope of survival!"

  Watching Fu Su answer questions like a little adult, the old man and Ying Zheng couldn't help but laugh.

  The old man continued to ask the third question with a smile, and this question was much more formal: "Fu Su, the country is like a long-handled scepter full of thorns. How can you grasp it safely without being pierced and bleeding?"

  Fu Su stood up straight and said, "What's difficult about this? Give me a knife, and I'll ruthlessly cut down all the thorns that are in the way. Once I have a smooth and safe path to grasp, it will naturally feel very comfortable!"

  The old man laughed, obviously extremely happy, his white hair, white eyebrows and white beard all shook together, like a joyful Maitreya Buddha. Ying Zheng was stunned, apparently it had been many years since he saw the old man so happy!

  The old man laughed and said, "Fu Su, your answers are not bad. Your three answers were all unexpected by me. But from this, it can be seen that Fu Su is humble and courteous to others, yet has principles, independent and bold, yet thoughtful and meticulous, considerate and thorough, yet unrestrained. He is resolute and decisive in his actions! Indeed, he is a talent for great things. I'll take this disciple as my last disciple!"

  The young man was overjoyed and said, "Thank you, Father, for taking me in despite the rules. I, Zheng, will repay your kindness!" The old man waved his hand and smiled, saying, "Don't thank me, I'm grateful to have such a clever disciple before I pass away. Heaven has been kind to me! From now on, Fu Su, come here every day and I'll teach you the poems, books, etiquette, music, archery, charioteering, swordsmanship, military tactics, and imperial arts that the prince needs to learn! However, I'm not familiar with the Qin's penal code, Zheng, you'll have to find someone else to teach him that!"

  "Indeed, Father. The eunuch Zhao Ga by my side has been with me since childhood and is very loyal. Moreover, he is extremely well-versed in the art of law and no one in Qin can surpass him. Therefore, I plan to wait a few years until Fusu turns ten and have him teach Fusu the art of law. What do you think?"

  The old man thought for a moment, and then said: "Zhao Gao is a poisonous snake. You must be careful in handling him!"

  Wing Zheng laughed and said, "Don't worry, Father. I know Zhao Gao's temperament like the back of my hand. With me around, he won't be able to play any tricks!" Fu Su also smiled slightly and said, "As the saying goes, 'dragons give birth to dragons, phoenixes give birth to phoenixes, and mice's sons can dig holes.' The king is wise and powerful, and I'm not a pushover either! Even if Zhao Gao tries to harm me, I won't be afraid of him. If he dares to make a move against me, I'll punish him like cutting through thorns!"

  The King of Qin and the old man saw Fu Su describe himself and Zhao Gao in such a way, and couldn't help but laugh loudly: "It's quite fitting, it's quite interesting, it seems we were overthinking!"

  Then, Qin Zheng and the old man talked about the proper business for a while. Seeing that it was almost noon, Qin Zheng reluctantly bid farewell to the old man with Fu Su.

  Returning to the palace, Fu Su loudly exclaimed: "Great Qin, in the future I will take control of you and lead you to the world!"