The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 220 New Era Ornaments, Bamboo Slips from Handan
Qi Wangjian said confidently:
“Among the Central Plains states, only Qi treats merchants with the greatest courtesy.

“Our country’s strengths lie not in the battlefield but in the business world.

“Our country’s land is fertile and suitable for growing mulberry and hemp. Our mulberry and hemp are the best in the Central Plains.

“Our country is surrounded by the sea on three sides, and our livelihood depends on the sea, and there is no end to it.

"my country's salt-making technology is the best in the world, and most of the refined salt consumed by the princes of various countries is produced in my country.

“Our country is also rich in mineral resources, and copper mining is the highest in the Central Plains.

“Whether it’s making weapons or forging farm tools, the demand for copper among nations has always been in short supply.

"Most importantly, our country has crystal."

King Jian of Qi took a set of ornaments from his waist and placed them on the table.

Ying Chengjiao lowered his eyes to look at it and found that this combination of accessories was something he had rarely seen before.

The aesthetic taste of the Central Plains began in the Zhou Dynasty, with jade and Huang being considered treasures.

The combination of accessories in front of you has a palm-sized ring in the center, and three thumb-thick round tubes on the outside.

Three circular tubes form a triangle, and the ring can rotate in the center of the triangle.

This set of accessories is yellow in color, transparent and made of crystal.

Pleasure is more important than etiquette, which is inconsistent with what Ying Chengjiao has always believed in as the Qi style.

The boy held it in his hand and gently pulled the ring. As the ring spun "whoosh", he saw a whole new trend.

Confucianism was prevalent and the state of Qi was the most etiquette-conscious. In Ying Chengjiao's view, the state of Qi, which fully believed in the Zhou rites, had produced accessories that completely violated the so-called aristocratic style of the Zhou Dynasty.

This made Ying Chengjiao realize that Qi was not a country that was completely incapable of accepting new things.

His completely relaxed heart began to become alert.

If Qi was given a chance.

This ancient Eastern country, which has a willing populace, boundless wealth, and the capacity for innovation, will surely shock the world.

Qi Wangjian pointed at the combination of ornaments in Ying Chengjiao's hand and said:
“This thing is named Wind Sound because of the sound it makes.

"The ornaments worn by nobles in other countries are still mainly jade and Huang.

"Ten years ago, people in my country stopped wearing jade and Huang and began to value crystal, agate and colored glaze instead."

King Jian of Qi took the Wind Sound from Ying Chengjiao, held it in his hand, and pointed at the crystal tube on the Wind Sound:

"You can see that the surface of the sound of the wind is unusually smooth. This is not due to polishing, but the crystal is naturally smooth.

“No matter how beautiful a beauty is, her skin won’t be this smooth.”

King Jian of Qi raised the wind, placed it above the candle flame, and gently moved the ring.

The ring made a sound of wind, and the candlelight flickered, scattering into tiny stars.

It feels like dancing in the air, quite magnificent.

"Such a beautiful thing, there is no need to add any patterns..." Qi Wangjian showed an infatuated look on his face: "Isn't this much more beautiful than those jade and Huang? Let me show you agate and colored glaze ornaments!"

As King Jian of Qi spoke, he began to touch the jewelry on his body, placed them on the table one by one, and explained them in detail to Ying Chengjiao.

What he said was clear, lively and interesting.

Ying Chengjiao, who was not very interested in these crystal, agate and glass ornaments, listened to them sincerely and nodded repeatedly with great interest. He felt that his aesthetic taste had improved a lot.

Every time King Jian of Qi introduced a piece of jewelry, Ying Chengjiao would take it in his hands and play with it carefully, with visible joy on his face.

One of them was talking, the other was listening, and time passed quickly...

The eunuchs waiting nearby turned from respectful to anxious, and then to impatient, their eyes wandering around the water carvings in the house. (Note 1)

When the water level dropped for two minutes, the king was still talking.

The eunuch hurried forward a few steps and reminded quietly:

"Your Majesty, New Year..."

Being disturbed, King Jian of Qi frowned and looked at the eunuch.

Seeing the eunuch's anxious look and remembering that he had just said the word "New Year", he realized the problem.

He is the King of Qi.

He has to entertain his clan members, offer sacrifices to his ancestors, etc. He has so many things to do. [It’s really annoying!]
King Jian of Qi was secretly dissatisfied and was in a very bad mood.

He was just about to say goodbye to Ying Chengjiao, but when he saw Ying Chengjiao playing with the ornaments on the table with shining eyes, he felt a little better.

Yingzi has the same aesthetic taste as him.

"If Yingzi likes them, I will give them all to you." King Jian of Qi waved his hand generously and magnanimously.

"This... isn't good, right?" Ying Chengjiao said, holding an ornament in one hand.

King Jian of Qi laughed loudly, said no more, and left the house that made him happy.

After taking a step out of the house, King Jian of Qi turned around and looked at Ying Zi again, with a look of reluctance on his face.

Yingzi did not see him out, but sat on the table playing with jewelry, which was very rude.

King Jian of Qi never thought of being disrespectful.

He only thought that Yingzi had the same interests and hobbies as him, and was willing to listen to him talk about crystal, agate, and glass.

He sighed secretly, turned around and strode forward.

Accompanied by eunuchs and surrounded by guards, King Jian of Qi boarded the five-horse royal carriage.

He is going to do what a king should do, which is boring.

As the five horses were pulling the carriage towards the palace, King Jian of Qi suddenly had an idea.

He has not yet told Yingzi how Qi can take back the lost land and restore the lost population.

He was so excited about the accessories just now that he forgot about the question asked by Yingzi.

"Yingzi didn't ask, and Yingzi also forgot..." Qi Wangjian muttered to himself, grinning: "It seems that Yingzi and I are just like each other, hahahaha."

Jixia Academy, the residence of Ying Chengjiao.

Gai Nie knocked on the door, and after hearing a voice saying "come in" from inside, he pushed the door open and walked in.

The Sword Saint in White held a scroll of bamboo slips in his hand and handed it to Ying Chengjiao expressionlessly:
"It was sent from Handan."

Ying Chengjiao took it and said jokingly with a smile:
"You are a natural spy. No one can read anything from your face."

"Is there any connection between a swordsman and a face?" The Sword Master was puzzled and pointed at the Chengying on his waist: "Don't swordsmen only look at the sword?"

"He's not a swordsman, he's a spy, a spy on others." Ying Chengjiao explained.

"Why did my lord scold me?" The Sword Saint was even more puzzled: "Nie did nothing wrong, why did my lord scold me as a bitch?"

"Why is the spy calling you a spy? Uh... it does seem a bit inappropriate." Ying Chengjiao patted his forehead and said, "This is my fault. With your character, you would never be a spy."

Gai Nie glared at Ying Chengjiao, his eyes full of displeasure:

"My Lord, if you continue to treat me with contempt, I will drive you away."

Looking at Gai Nie's unhappy back as he left, Ying Chengjiao was a little confused. Is it that serious?
Hu Ru, who arrived after Gai Nie entered and had been waiting outside for Ying Chengjiao to finish his discussion, looked back at the figure in white and asked curiously:

"Why are the Lord and the Sword Master angry?"

"I'm not angry. As for why the Sword Saint is angry..." Ying Chengjiao spread his hands, looking innocent: "I don't know."

Hu was about to speak when he looked down and saw a table full of crystal, glass, and agate ornaments. He was surprised:

"Where did my lord get so many jewelry of such high quality?"

"Do you like it?" Without waiting for a reply, Ying Chengjiao waved his hand and said, "I'll give it all to you."

The boy pushed all the ornaments to one side, clearing the table.

Place the bamboo slips on the paper and slowly spread it out.

When the first column of words appeared, the young man looked down and his expression immediately became solemn.

[The King of Zhao is seriously ill and about to die...]

…………

[Note 1: Water scale is a timekeeping instrument from the Warring States Period. Simply put, it is to put an iron rod with scales in a kettle. A small hole is opened at the bottom of the kettle, and water drips slowly. The water in the kettle keeps flowing down, and the water level moves down, revealing more and more scales. For the convenience of reading and understanding, one scale in this book is fifteen minutes.]

ps: All comments are added after the chapter is published and are not counted in the paid word count. Brothers, please don’t accuse me of writing nonsense to cheat money, I will really be defeated.

There is still one chapter left. Go to bed early and read it tomorrow morning.

(End of this chapter)