Li Nian said, "I have not yet married a wife!"
The First Emperor was surprised and said, "You haven't married yet?"
In the eyes of the First Emperor, Li Nian was already 26 years old, and it was about time for him to have married and had children. After all, when he and Li Nian were the same age, his eldest son Fu Song was already able to read some classics.
And Li Nian, after arriving in the Qin Dynasty, was quite polite to the palace maids he attended to. He did not touch or make inappropriate remarks. The First Emperor mistakenly thought he was missing his wife in the future and did not want to touch other women.
So, he never asked about Li Nian's marital status, and he didn't expect that this fellow had not yet married. He was an elderly bachelor in the Qin Dynasty, and according to Qin law, he would be punished for it.
Does this person have a problem?
The First Emperor had a strange idea in his mind. According to what he knew, some people disliked female companionship and were more inclined towards male relationships. In the "Zhan Guo Ce" (a historical book), it was recorded that King Wei of the State of Wei had a relationship with Lord Longyang.
Li Nian sighed, "It's not that I don't want to marry, but I have nothing in my sleeves, how could I dare to spoil a beauty? In short, in the future world, I am poor and can't afford to marry a wife!"
The First Emperor asked curiously, "Does it take a lot of money to marry a wife in the future?"
Li Nian nodded and said, "In the future, if a man wants to marry, he needs betrothal money, a car, and a house. These three items alone can drain a man's family savings for years, or even leave them in debt for decades. Some women demand more and the expenses are even greater!"
Although he didn't know the exact amount, from Li Nian's tone, the First Emperor knew it couldn't be a small sum. Frowning, he asked, "Doesn't a woman's family give anything in return?"
Li Nian said, "Depending on the region, some places may return equal dowries, but in most places, they won't."
The First Emperor said, "In this case, is marrying not equivalent to selling one's daughter, and marrying equivalent to buying a wife? Does the future court also intervene?"
Marriage involves the population and is a matter of state importance. In the Qin Dynasty, if a woman reaches the age of marriage and has not yet been married, and if a man reaches the age of marriage and has not yet married, both are subject to punishment.
If everyone doesn't marry, I don't marry, how can the population of the Qin Dynasty increase and how can it develop?
Before Li Nian could answer, the First Emperor recalled what Li Nian had said about the future Han people having 1.4 billion, and said, "In the future, the population is numerous, so there's no need to be like in Qin."
Upon hearing the First Emperor's words, Li Nian fell silent for a moment. He also felt anxious, but he was not in a position to explain to the First Emperor that he was anxious as well. After all, if things continued this way, there would soon be a shortage of oxen and horses for screw driving.
The First Emperor looked at Li Nian and changed the subject, saying, "Then do you want to marry?"
Is the First Emperor really going to send a princess?
Li Nian said with a sigh, "I am also a normal man and I certainly want to marry. It's just that in the future, I really can't afford to."
The implied meaning of these words is that a marriage in the future is unaffordable, but one in the Qin Dynasty could be affordable...
But the First Emperor didn't pick up the conversation, not continuing on the topic of marriage, but instead talking about other events in the future with Li Nian. Li Nian couldn't understand what idea the First Emperor had.
After the meal, it was evening. Inside the Zhangtai Palace, lanterns were lit one by one, and under the glow of the lights, Li Nian continued to explain to the First Emperor the solutions to the problems of the Qin Dynasty.
"King, the issue of not having an heir is indeed relatively easy to solve. As long as Your Majesty issues a decree and appoints a certain prince as the heir, it will be done. However, the real challenge for Your Majesty is who to choose. Who among the princes can inherit the throne and rule this unprecedented empire?"
"In historical records, Your Majesty has favored Prince Fu Su. However, you have never formally designated him as the heir. This indicates that Your Majesty wants to choose a most satisfactory successor for Qin but Prince Fu Su hasn't met Your Majesty's full expectations."
The First Emperor admitted in a matter-of-fact manner, "I do indeed hold Fu Su in high regard. Unfortunately, Fu Su is unaware of his own potential. He doesn't realize that as a prince, he could one day become the ruler of Qin. Moreover, he has an ignorant and crude nature. How can I entrust the great Qin Dynasty to him?"
As he spoke, the First Emperor looked at Li Nian and asked a question that even ordinary officials would avoid: "Who among my sons can inherit the throne?"
He knew he couldn't avoid answering this question, so he didn't try to avoid it. He said, "In my opinion, among the princes now, none can inherit the throne."
This was an answer that the First Emperor hadn't expected. He had thought Li Nian would say Fu Su, or Prince Gao, Prince Jiang Lü, or any other prince besides Hu Hai, but Li Nian thought none of them were qualified.
The First Emperor said, "If I force you to choose one, who do you think is qualified?"
Li Nian replied in a straightforward manner: "That would certainly be Fu Su Prince. In historical records, Fu Su Prince is the most documented, and it is mainly about his kind-hearted nature. Under Fu Su Prince's rule, Qin may not reach its zenith, but it will not face the end of the second dynasty."
The First Emperor nodded, agreeing that Fu Su's leniency could prevent the rapid decline of the Qin Dynasty. He continued, "You said 'Among the current princes, none can inherit the throne,' which means there might be someone in the future whom you believe is qualified to inherit the throne?"
Li Nian said, "People are one of the creations of the world and change constantly. One's age, environment, and knowledge can all lead to changes in a person. For example, what King did when he was young and what he thinks now are still different."
The First Emperor squinted his eyes and recalled some unpleasant memories.
In his childhood, he was in Handan, only hoping for a better life and not to be bullied. Unlike today, when he sits on the throne, looking down at the entire realm, what he thinks about is how to demonstrate his royal authority and how to govern the Qin Dynasty well.
Before the First Emperor could respond, Li Nian continued, "The other princes of Your Majesty are also like this. They can be changed and have the opportunity to grow into the kind of successor Your Majesty wants. Fu Su Prince's unwavering belief in benevolent governance and misunderstanding of Your Majesty are because he has not yet fully understood himself, nor the difficulties of governing a country."
The First Emperor said, "What do you have to offer?"
Li Nian said, "Spoken words are not as effective as personal example, and personal example is not as effective as the environment. Fu Su Prince's current state is partly due to the learning and growth environment provided by Your Majesty. To change Fu Su, relying solely on speech is unlikely to be convincing and might even provoke his resistance."
"This is called 'counter-developmental psychology' in the future. It is common among fathers and teachers."
The First Emperor nodded silently, acknowledging that this was the case with him and Fu Su. He couldn't convince Fu Su, and Fu Su couldn't convince him either. In fact, after being scolded by him, Fu Su would become more aggressive the next time he tried to advise him. Not only did his condition not improve, but it got worse, as if Fu Su was determined to go against him at all costs.
"In this situation, to make Fu Su change, it is necessary to remove him from his current learning and living environment and place him in another one. Only then will he independently understand and think about whether his original knowledge and thoughts are correct, and he will undergo a change."
Li Nian's suggestion was a version of the reality show "The Transformation of the Qin Dynasty." It involved sending Fu Su to experience the real world and observe the diverse aspects of the Qin Dynasty.
"Throughout this process, Fu Su Prince must conceal his true identity and not use his title. A person like Fu Su Prince, who is of this age, will be difficult to change unless he himself wants to change."
If Prince Fu Su does not recognize his own problems and persists in believing he is right, then no one can change him, neither the First Emperor nor Li Nian.
