The Emperor scribbled a letter: ‘
I, Emperor Qin, order that the Honorable Knight Lin Jiang is to
be in charge of the construction of the Great Wall for a month.
’
The Emperor handed it to Lin Jiang, and ordered, “Give this to Li Si.”
Lin Jiang bowed, and set off immediately. When he got back, he gave the letter to Li Si, who read
it over and over. He found it too implausible, but these were the Emperor’s orders. “Orders are orders,
no matter how weird they sound,” he muttered to himself.
Next morning, he announced, “Lin Jiang is going to be the head of this project for a month.”
Lin Jiang commenced by replacing the harsh laws with fair rules. He offered the slaves generous
amounts of food and rest. Noticing this, Li Si chuckled. “Soon, these slaves will grow stubborn, and
Lin Jiang will be punished by the Emperor.”
But, much to Li Si’s dismay, the slaves started working wholeheartedly. He asked one of the slaves
the reason for such a change. The slave smiled, and replied, “If you people can be so liberal, why can’t
we be obedient?”
Li Si got the message, and started treating the slaves reasonably. When Emperor Qin got the news,
he set off towards the Great Wall’s construction site immediately.
He went there intending to bring out his unbridled rage on Li Si. But he stopped dead in his tracks
when he saw that the slaves were working harder than ever. His frown turned into a smile. He walked
up to Lin Jiang, and said, “That was quite a notable wish. Well, you aren’t brainless after all.”
Lin Jiang bowed, and said, “I was merely doing my duty, Your Majesty.”
* * *