Diqin Designer

Chapter 542 From Arrogance to Intimacy? It Was All Because of a Gift
When dealing with such a country, you must never tolerate or back down. Tolerance and backing down will not only fail to earn their respect or make them stop, but will also make them think you are weak and easy to bully, thus making them even more arrogant and overbearing.

Only by appearing tough will you make the other party feel that you are not to be trifled with, and thus earn their respect.

The saying "Barbarians are beasts; they fear power but do not cherish virtue" applies equally to these Western countries.

Despite the hostile gazes from the Parthian officials, Wang Ling and his entourage remained remarkably calm, seemingly oblivious to the tense atmosphere threatening to erupt within the hall. Their demeanor conveyed an air of "If you wish to challenge us, then come and fight! We, the Qin, are not afraid of trouble!"

But Arsak I did not allow the duel to actually take place; he silenced the Parthian generals who were itching to fight.

"Enough! The envoy from Qin has come from afar and is a guest. How can you be so rude to a guest?"

After reprimanding the general, Arsak I looked at the royal tomb and apologized, "I am truly sorry that the envoy has seen this and made a fool of himself!"

The real culprit who stirred up this tense atmosphere was this man. He clearly wanted to give the Qin delegation a hard time, but he failed to do so.

Although he knew who the culprit was, he couldn't point it out directly. Since the other party had given him a way out, Wang Ling wisely accepted it. He was here on a diplomatic mission, not to make enemies.

Moreover, the Qin Dynasty cannot send troops here for the time being, and if they are killed here, the Qin Dynasty will not be able to avenge them in a short period of time.

Wang Ling shook his head and said, "Your Majesty is too kind. This is just a misunderstanding caused by the fact that you gentlemen of your country were unaware of the existence of our Great Qin."

After speaking with Arsak I, the king looked at the Parthian ministers in the hall and said with a smile, "You all have some misunderstandings about my Great Qin. If you want to understand Great Qin, you are welcome to visit Great Qin. Great Qin welcomes you all!"

Some of the Parthian ministers still looked down on the Qin, thinking the Qin people were too arrogant, but they did not express it directly again.

Arsak I said, "Your country has never ventured westward before, so why are you sending envoys today?"

Wang Ling smiled and said, "As I just said, the reason why Great Qin did not go west in the past was because the domestic affairs were not settled and it was impossible to go west. But now that Great Qin has destroyed the six states and unified the world, it is natural that it can send us here."

"Our Great Qin has long heard that there are countries in the west, with people and customs different from those of Great Qin. His Majesty the Emperor was very curious and sent us as envoys to establish diplomatic relations with the western countries."

"Although Great Qin is separated from other states in the east and west, we live in the same world. His Majesty the Emperor believes that Great Qin should have more exchanges and friendly interactions with other states!"

Upon hearing this, a Parthian minister asked, "Do you still intend to send an envoy to Seleucus?"

Wang Ling glanced at the Parthian minister who had asked the question and replied with a smile, "Of course we should go on diplomatic missions. Seleucus, Ptolemy, Rome, Carthage, and other countries are all countries we wish to visit."

Although the king did not say it directly, Arsak I and the Parthian ministers in the palace could understand what he meant: You have conflicts and contradictions with the Seleucids, but what does that have to do with our Great Qin? We have no right to interfere with which country we want to go on a diplomatic mission.

The minister was about to say something more, but was stopped by Arsakh I with a look.

Arsak I said, “The Seleucids are not as hospitable as we are. The envoy must be careful if he goes there.”

Arsak I was telling the truth. Compared to Bactria and Parthia, the Seleucids, though more powerful, were much more closed off.

This "closedness" does not mean that Seleucus did not open up trade with the outside world or accept envoys from other countries, thus isolating the entire country from the world. Rather, it means that Seleucus's rule was dominated by Macedonian elites, who did not accept local elites, forming a relatively "closed" ruling group.

This is also known as “cultural isolation” and “social segregation.” The Macedonian elites, as the ruling class, were extremely exclusive, making it difficult for people from other ethnic groups to enter their sphere of influence.

Arsak I rebelled against the Seleucids and established an independent state for this reason: under the rule of the Seleucid Macedonian elites, he could only ever be a tribal chief several levels below the Macedonians, never able to rise in rank.

In such a closed ruling group, it is easy to develop feelings of arrogance and disdain for others, making communication with them difficult.

Because these people hold the idea that: we Seleucids are the best in the world, the legitimate successors left by Alexander, the celestial empire, and other countries are not even worthy of carrying our shoes.

Of course, Arsak I's reminder to the royal tombs was not out of good intentions, but rather to leave the tombs with the impression that "the Seleucids were not good."

Wang Ling smiled and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Your Majesty!"

King Arsark I then asked curiously, "Have your scholars truly proven that two objects, one light and one heavy, will land at the same time when dropped from the same height? And that white light is not the purest light?"

Although he wasn't a scholar, he was quite curious. Both of these were the doctrines of Aristotle, who, in the eyes of those Macedonians, was the greatest sage in the world, with profound knowledge and all his knowledge being correct.

If the news that Qin scholars had overturned Aristotle's doctrine reached the Seleucid Empire or Macedonia...

Arsak I was eager to see the scene and how the self-proclaimed noble Macedonians would react when they learned that Aristotle, whom they revered as a god, had been dethroned by the Qin people.

Furthermore, the Qin envoy's statements such as "Alexander's good fortune was that he did not continue his eastern expedition; had he continued, his illustrious reputation would have been ruined" and "If Alexander had encountered the Qin during his eastern expedition, he would have perished at the hands of the Qin" would be quite something if the Seleucids, Ptolemy, and Macedonians knew about them...

Just thinking about it makes me feel like it would be very interesting.

Arsak I also thought of a way to make the Qin envoys and the Seleucids turn against each other: send people to spread the word, and given the nature of the Seleucids, they would surely hate the Qin envoys.

When the Qin envoy arrives in Seleucus, he will certainly be deliberately targeted by the Seleucids.

At that time, the Qin people would naturally not sell their weapons and armor to the Seleucus.

Moreover, the Qin people couldn't blame them for this. After all, they hadn't done anything wrong; they had simply spread the stories and actions of the Qin people.

Wang Ling smiled and praised, "Your Majesty is truly well-informed, even knowing what happened to us in Bactria."

"But Your Majesty is mistaken. It is not 'two objects, one light and one heavy,' but 'two objects, one light and one heavy, equal in size, shape, and volume.' If it is only one light and one heavy, Your Majesty would send someone to test it and find that they did not land at the same time."

Arsak I nodded and said, "I see. I hadn't noticed that."

Wang Ling continued, "White light is indeed not the purest light, but to prove it, a prism made of jade is needed. Among the gifts His Majesty the Emperor gave to Your Majesty were also treasures made of jade!"

Arsak I and his envoys had already heard of this precious gem, which the envoy said could only be produced in the Qin state and whose beauty far surpassed any other gem he had ever seen.

Arsak I was also eager to see just how beautiful and rare this precious jade was. With Arsak's permission, exquisitely crafted boxes were brought in, and the First Emperor prepared gifts for the monarchs of the various countries the delegation was to visit.

These gifts weren't actually that valuable; they were mainly glass products. Glass products weren't difficult to manufacture in the Qin Dynasty at that time. It was just that Li Nian deliberately limited production because he wanted to make money from glass.

Things are valued for their scarcity; if there are too many, they become worthless. Li Nian also wanted to use glass products as the main goods for Qin's foreign trade, to go out and reap the wealth of other countries.

For Li Nian, glassware was not precious, but for the Western countries of that era, it was a rare treasure.

Wang Ling opened the first box, inside which was an exquisitely crafted gold box. The box was carved with a strange bird, its wings slightly outstretched, surrounded by many golden clouds, making the bird appear both noble and auspicious.

Wang Ling explained, "This bird is a 'phoenix,' an auspicious beast in the mythology of our Great Qin Dynasty, representing good fortune and auspiciousness."

Arsak I nodded and smiled, "Indeed, it is an auspicious and celebratory sight!"

Just looking at this box, it's already a rare treasure. And the Qin people couldn't have brought an empty box; there must be even more valuable treasures inside.

Arsak I was pleased to receive such a precious gift from the Qin people and found the Qin envoys much more agreeable.

The people of Qin have already presented him with such a treasure; a little rudeness is no big deal.

When the king opened the box, the contents were revealed, instantly drawing the attention of Arsène Ludwig I and the Parthian ministers in the palace.

The gifts that the First Emperor gave to the monarchs of the Western countries were specially differentiated. For example, the main gift given to Euthydemus I was a large mirror, so the main gift given to the other monarchs would not be a large mirror.

If they were too similar, these rulers would feel that the gifts given to them by the Qin emperor were not unique enough.

As a monarch, how can one be the same as others? Only by being different can one demonstrate the unique nobility of their status.

Following Alsak I's gaze, one can see that the object in the box is a crown, a typical Western crown made entirely of glass.

In this era, pure glass products are incredibly eye-catching.

What kind of glassware? This isn't cheap glass; it's precious jasper!
The glass was transparent and pure, giving Arsène Ludwig I and his Parthian ministers a sense of purity, holiness, and untainted nobility.

This thing looks like something only the most noble monarchs are worthy of possessing!
This crown is not only sacred and noble, but also quite magnificent, adorned with gemstones of different colors, making it even more exquisite.

In fact, these gems are all glass.

Arsak I had never seen such a beautiful, pure, and noble treasure. The moment he saw the crown, a strong desire to possess it welled up in his heart: this crown was his, and he had to have it.

This crown should be placed on his head. Only he is worthy of this beautiful crown, and only this crown is worthy of his noble status.

He will wear this crown and receive the homage of his subjects; he will use this crown to proclaim to his people that his kingship is ordained by the gods.

If it wasn't ordained by the gods, why would the Qin envoy travel thousands of miles to deliver this crown to him?

The Qin people must have received a divine decree to specially send this crown, which rightfully belonged to them.

If it weren't for the presence of the Qin envoy and ministers, Arsak I would have loved to immediately take the crown and examine it closely, looking at every detail and every gemstone on it.

The Parthian ministers who saw the crown in the palace were also attracted by its beauty. They finally understood what the messenger from Bactria meant when he said, "Its beauty far surpasses any gem I have ever seen, and I cannot describe it to you." Indeed, it was difficult to describe its beauty in words.

After observing for a while, Arsak I withdrew his gaze and asked, "Envoy, is the gift that His Majesty the Emperor of your nation presented to the Lord of Bactria also a crown?"

Upon seeing the crown, his tone towards the Qin delegation became much more friendly.

Upon hearing Arsak I's question, Wang Ling thought to himself, "As expected." If any of these monarchs had already received a certain type of gift, then the other monarchs would not want to receive the same type of gift again.

Fortunately, His Majesty and the Prince took this into consideration and prepared different gifts for each of the monarchs, even though the materials used were actually the same.

Wang Ling smiled and said, "His Majesty the Emperor presented the Bactrian ruler with a precious mirror."

Upon hearing that the treasures given to him by the Qin emperor were different from those given to Euthydemus I, Arsak I was even more pleased and said with a smile, "Your Majesty the Emperor of your country is very thoughtful."

The Qin emperor was very good at dealing with people; he knew to send them different treasures.

After the glass crown, the royal tomb opened other boxes. The gifts in these boxes were not as unique as the glass crown and were similar to the other gifts given to Euthydemus I: paper, glass tableware, and silk.

The only difference was the style of the glassware, as it was a set made specifically for Arsène Ludwig I.

After viewing all the gifts, Arsak I was even more satisfied. The gifts from the Qin emperor were all excellent, each one a treasure, but what pleased him most was the crown.

He wanted to assign special people to guard his crown, which could be used to pass on the kingdom and become the title of king. Only the one who possessed this crown was the true heir of Parthia.

However, from the gifts sent by the Qin emperor, Arsak I also sensed the advanced nature of Qin. The Qin envoy may not have been exaggerating; Qin was indeed a very powerful country.

In any case, his father was unable to make these gifts, while Qin was able to, which shows that Qin's craftsmanship was superior to theirs.

No wonder the Bactrian envoy said that the Qin soldiers' armor was quite formidable, surpassing their own.

If that's the case, then they shouldn't let the Qin people sell their weapons and armor to the Seleucus. Instead, they should buy as much Qin weapons and armor as possible to arm themselves.

It would be even better if they could directly obtain the Qin people's technology for forging weapons and armor, so they could smelt and forge them themselves and no longer need to buy them from the Qin people.

Buying from others means being limited by them.

(End of this chapter)