Diqin Designer

Chapter 523 The Gift of Qin, Aiming for the Silk Road
After the mirror was brought out, Wang Ling introduced it, saying, "This object is called the 'Glassy Treasure Mirror.' Its surface is made of glass plated with silver. Even in our Great Qin, there are not many treasure mirrors this large."

This is indeed a mirror, but what is that "glass"?
Euthydemus I didn't care what the mirror was called, or what the Qin people called it. He planned to give it a sacred and noble name so that it would serve as proof of the legitimacy of his throne.

When Wang Ling said that such a mirror was not common in the Qin Dynasty, Euthydemus I was very pleased. Things are valued for their rarity; it's not that they are scarce, but that they are too abundant. Only rare and precious things are worthy of his noble status.

He has decided to place this mirror in the place where he usually summons his ministers to discuss state affairs, so that they can see it every time they come to discuss matters. He also plans to assign someone to guard it and ensure that nothing goes wrong...

Wang Ling then opened the second box, and two members of the delegation took out two wooden trays from it.

Euthydemus I and his entourage saw some items on two wooden trays that they had never seen before.

On a wooden tray sits a strangely shaped cylindrical object. Although it is called a cylinder, it is not entirely cylindrical; rather, its main body is cylindrical.

This object has an opening, with two ear-like things standing upright on either side of the opening, and is supported by three legs at the bottom.

On another wooden tray were some objects that appeared to be cups and plates, but their shapes were quite different from the cups and plates they used.

These objects appear to be made of crystal, but they don't feel like it. All of them are transparent, pure, and flawless. Just by looking at them, you can tell they are treasures.

These items are actually small tripods, wine vessels, cups, and bowls made of glass.

Glass, aside from anything else, has a very appealing appearance. Even in modern times, people still find things made of glass quite attractive, let alone in this era.

When the glass tripod, glass wine cup, and glass goblets were taken out of the box, they immediately attracted the attention of Euthydemus I and his entourage.

These are treasures, rare and precious treasures. Just seeing them makes them want to take them home to admire and use.

Upon closer inspection, each artifact is carved with patterns, especially the one with a cylindrical body and three legs at the bottom, which is decorated with very delicate patterns.

Euthydemus I could not see it clearly, but the ministers who were closer saw that it not only had patterns but also characters, though they did not recognize the Qin script.

Wang Ling smiled and introduced, "These objects are also made of 'liuli' (琉璃), which is also called 'qiulin' in Qin. It looks like water jade (crystal), but it is not. It is a rare gem."

That damned Baoyu was just a con artist to fool people like Euthydemus I.

Although the West has a history of glassmaking, what kind of glass did they make? It couldn't compare to the glass made by the Qin Dynasty. Now that the Qin Dynasty says this is a precious jade, then it is.

Wang Ling continued, “This is the Peace Tripod. In the Qin Dynasty, the tripod could be used as both a ritual vessel and tableware. His Majesty the Emperor named this tripod ‘Peace,’ symbolizing the Qin Dynasty’s willingness to live in harmony with your esteemed nation.”

“This item is a ‘jue’, a wine vessel of our Great Qin. The Emperor presented the King with a set of wine jues, which are inscribed with the poem ‘Bring in the Wine’ written by Prince Li Nian: ‘When life is good, enjoy it to the fullest; do not let the golden goblet face the moon empty.’”

The poems Wang Ling composed were truly difficult to translate. Foreign poems are easy to translate into Chinese, but Chinese poems often lose their charm when translated into foreign languages.

The translator pondered it carefully before finally providing a half-baked translation to Euthydemus I and others.

Oh, this strangely shaped thing is actually a wine cup, and it's even a set, with a poem written by Prince Li Nian of the Great Qin Dynasty on it.

The poem means: When people are successful, they should enjoy themselves to the fullest and not let their golden goblets be left empty, facing the moon.

"These are also everyday tableware, a complete set, all of which are in these boxes."

Looking at these exquisite tablewares, Euthydemus I decided to dine with them today, believing that food and wine would taste even better when served in such fine and precious tableware.

Euthydemus I smiled and said, "Your Majesty's Emperor is very kind. Please convey my sincerest gratitude to His Majesty!"

Wang Ling opened another box. This time it was also made of glass, but unlike the previous glass items, this time the glass objects contained something.

Euthydemus I and others observed carefully and discovered that the exquisitely crafted glass and jade objects seemed to contain dried leaves.

Given the preciousness of glass and jade, it's unlikely that the Qin people would be so extravagant as to use them to hold useless withered leaves; those leaves must have been a treasure as well.

As expected, the Qin envoy explained, "This substance is called 'tea.' It may look like withered leaves, but it is actually another treasure of our great Qin. Tea is a beverage that must be brewed with boiling water."

"Tea has many wonderful uses. It can refresh the mind, calm the heart, relieve fatigue, prevent diseases, and cut through greasiness. When you first taste it, it may taste a little bitter, but after a careful sip, its fragrance lingers on your teeth and the aftertaste is long-lasting."

"The tea His Majesty the Emperor presented to Your Majesty is called 'Snow-capped Silver Shuttle,' the finest tea in our Great Qin. Its tea trees grow on the snow-capped peaks of high mountains, and can only be harvested for seven days each year. Every year when Snow-capped Silver Shuttle is harvested, Great Qin strictly selects young and beautiful maidens to go up the mountain to pick the tea leaves, which are then processed into tea."

This is nonsense again, but the more high-end the gift is described and the more complicated the production process is made, the more valuable the gift will seem to the recipient.

Just like modern mooncakes, the mooncakes inside the box may not taste very good, but the packaging is always more and more high-end.

What you're buying isn't mooncakes anymore, but mooncake packaging; what you're giving away isn't mooncakes, but face.

Wang Ling dropped another bombshell on Euthydemus I and others: "It is said that drinking this substance regularly can prolong life."

Upon hearing this, Euthydemus I and the others, who were already focused on the tea leaves, looked even more seriously. This was a treasure that could prolong life! Didn't that mean that drinking more of this tea would allow them to live a few more years, or even achieve immortality?

One minister asked, "May I ask, Your Excellency, does this thing truly have the power to prolong life?"

The others also turned their attention to Wang Ling, waiting for his answer.

Wang Ling seemed oblivious to the stares and laughed, "It's just 'rumored.' Even if this thing truly has the power to prolong life, it can't extend it by much, let alone grant immortality."

Upon hearing this, Euthydemus I and his entourage were somewhat disappointed. They were powerful and influential; who wouldn't want to live a few more years?
But upon closer reflection, it makes perfect sense. If this tea called "Snow-capped Silver Shuttle" could extend lifespan to the point of granting immortality, the Qin Emperor would not have presented it as a gift; he would have hidden it away as his most precious treasure.

However, even if this thing cannot extend one's lifespan to immortality, it can still prolong life. Even if it can extend one's life by a few months or a few days, it is still good.

Unfortunately, the Qin emperor only gave it to Baseles; if they wanted to drink this tea, they could only get it from Baseles.

No, not necessarily...

The Qin envoy said that "Snow-Topped Silver Shuttle" was the finest tea in their Qin state, but he didn't mention that it was the only type of tea; there must be other, less desirable varieties. While they couldn't obtain the best "Snow-Topped Silver Shuttle," they could acquire slightly inferior tea from the Qin people. They could even trade with the Qin, buying tea from them and reselling it further afield—that could potentially yield enormous profits!

Some ministers began to have interesting ideas and decided to find an opportunity to ask the Qin people.

This was exactly what Wang Ling wanted. By presenting tea as a gift to Euthydemus I, he intended to promote tea to these foreigners and inspire them to want to do business with the Qin Dynasty.

This was also the purpose of the mission: to open the Silk Road of the Qin Dynasty!
After introducing the tea, Wang Ling opened a wooden box and then took out a stack of what looked like papyrus (papyrus is not paper).

However, Euthydemus I had seen and used papyrus before, and immediately determined that this was not papyrus.

They speculated that although this object was not papyrus, it might have served the same purpose as papyrus, and that it might have been used by the Qin people for writing and recording.

Wang Ling laughed and said, "This is paper, the material used for writing and recording in our Great Qin. It's not easy to explain, so Your Majesty and everyone else should take a look for yourselves!"

After saying that, Wang Ling distributed the papers.

Euthydemus I took the paper, which had been examined repeatedly by the guards, and carefully examined it in his hand.

I had thought papyrus was the lightest and thinnest thing in the world for writing, but I didn't expect this thing to be even lighter and thinner, and smoother and flatter to the touch than papyrus. I wonder what material it is made of.

Euthydemus I had a pen brought to him and began to write on the paper. The pen, made of a reed, moved across the paper and clearly left a line of text.

Looking at the words he had written, Euthydemus I knew that this was better than papyrus, but he wondered how difficult it was to make.

Papyrus production is very complicated. The raw material, papyrus, grows in the Nile River basin and is difficult to cultivate in other regions. Moreover, the Egyptians kept the papyrus production technique a secret and did not pass it on to outsiders, so that only they could produce papyrus and others could only buy it from them.

If the Qin people could mass-produce this kind of paper, that would be great; we would never have to be limited by those Egyptians again.

Euthydemus I said, "This substance far surpasses papyrus. I wonder how much the Great Qin produces? May we purchase it?"

Wang Ling said, "This thing is also called 'paper' in the Qin Dynasty. As for the variations in the Qin Dynasty..."

Wang Ling said with some difficulty, "Although it is not a small amount, the Qin Dynasty needs paper in many aspects, so it is also in short supply."

Euthydemus I asked curiously, "Does your country have many places that use paper?"

Wang Ling nodded and said, "Paper can be made into books, but His Majesty the Emperor wants all the people of Qin to be literate, and Qin's current paper production capacity is far from sufficient."

When Euthydemus I heard that the Qin emperor wanted all Qin people to be literate, he was astonished. What a grand ambition that Qin emperor had!

One minister said, "Your Majesty the Emperor wants everyone to be a scholar, so that all people can read and write?"

Wang Ling shook his head and said, "It's not that I want everyone to be a scholar, but His Majesty the Emperor believes that after people read and write, they will be more discerning and it will help our Great Qin become stronger."

After answering, Wang Ling brought the topic back to the present, "If Your Majesty wishes to buy paper, the Great Qin might be able to allocate a certain share each year."

Euthydemus I and his entourage understood: Although our Great Qin is also short of paper, it is not impossible for you to buy it. We can allocate a certain share to you, of course, you must provide sufficient financial resources!
Euthydemus I asked, "How much of your territory can you sell? And at what price?"

Wang Ling smiled and said, "Your Majesty, please don't be hasty. This matter can be discussed and decided later!"

Although the Qin Dynasty also lacked paper, Li Nian and the First Emperor still included paper as one of their export commodities. They wanted to make a profit from paper, suppress the papyrus from Egypt with Qin paper, and promote Qin to other countries.

Once papyrus has been suppressed to the point of losing its market, and other states have not yet mastered the method of papermaking, then the market will be controlled by the Qin Dynasty.

After introducing the paper, Wang Ling opened another box and took out a type of fabric.

This fabric was quite luxurious. At first glance, Euthydemus I and others thought of some rumors about the Qin people: the Qin people used a fabric called "silk" to make clothes, and this might be silk.

But Wang Ling's answer was: "This item is called brocade. Your Majesty and all of you should have already seen that it is a kind of fabric. Clothes made from it are not only beautiful, but also light and breathable, and feel like wearing clouds and rainbows."

"The brocade that His Majesty the Emperor presented to Your Majesty is the finest brocade in the Great Qin Dynasty. Even within the Great Qin, its annual production is quite limited."

Wang Ling wasn't lying this time; this stuff is indeed scarce.

"Your Majesty will know the wonder of this object once you see it for yourself!"

The king took the brocade out of the box and handed it to the guards in the palace. After the guards inspected it, they presented it to Euthydemus I.

When Euthydemus I received it, he not only examined it carefully with his eyes, but also touched it gently with his hands. This fabric, known as "brocade," had a texture that he had never felt with any other fabric.

It is soft, thin, delicate and smooth, but not entirely thin and smooth. When you touch it with your fingers, you can clearly feel the resistance that the pattern on it provides to your fingertips.

The entire piece of brocade was dyed with some unknown material, the colors were bright and vivid, and the embroidered patterns on it fit the fabric perfectly, showing that the embroiderer had put in a great deal of effort.

In any case, Euthydemus I has never seen a better fabric in his lifetime. I wonder what it would feel like to wear clothes made of this fabric.
Euthydemus I was already looking forward to the clothes his tailor would make for him from this fabric. It was a pity that the Qin people had given him so little of this brocade, otherwise he would have made hundreds of sets to wear every day.

"Take good care of it, don't get it dirty!"

After handing the brocade to a guard beside him, King Euthydemus I asked the royal tomb, "Is your country willing to sell this?"

Wang Ling said, "This item is produced in very small quantities in our Great Qin, so I'm afraid it cannot be sold to Your Majesty. If Your Majesty wishes to purchase slightly inferior silk brocade, we can discuss it!"

Since it is the Silk Road, how can it be without "silk"?

After hearing what the king said, Euthydemus I and others felt some regret, especially the ministers.

They also wanted this fabric to make clothes, but the Qin people did not sell it to outsiders.

(End of this chapter)