Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 117, Section 116: Favorable Timing and Location
After flattering Qin Shi for a while, she continued writing on her own. Seeing this, Ji Heng, before he could even feel happy about her words, couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.

That's how work should be!
Zhou Ju moved his lips, but after thinking for a long time, he still didn't know how to respond to such fluent and pleasant words, so he closed his mouth again in frustration.

Fortunately, Qin Shi simply liked to make notes whenever she needed to—after her brain cancer, she often forgot things, so she became even more steadfast in this habit.

Now that I have written these few notes, I can face Ji Heng with ease again.

"Your Majesty has suddenly felt something; is there any doubt you wish to ask?"

Ji Heng raised an eyebrow slightly: "Why do you say that?"

Qin Shi thought to himself, "Isn't it obvious? Do you need to grind the ink yourself or sharpen the pencil? It doesn't matter what you use, does it?"

Suddenly praising a pencil during a work break is clearly not in line with one's focused habits.

I imagine there must be some question you want to ask, but you're hesitating.

Huh?
This made Qin Shi curious: given Ji Heng's personality, what other issue could make him hesitate?

But it's not a good thing to presume to guess the emperor's thoughts.

Therefore, she decisively replied, "I think that's exactly how the King is."

Her eyes were bright and she was very focused.

Zhou Ju's lips curled up instantly, thinking to himself, "Speak up! Say more!"
Ji Heng knew that this must be because her whole heart was with him, which was why she could perceive it.

He was able to get used to it.

At this moment, he spoke up and said, "In the past, when I asked about the families of my officials, I mentioned women in court affairs. If there were any outstanding women, they could be appointed as superiors."

Lady Wang asked, "Women are not as strong as men. If a woman makes a mistake and I order her to be flogged in court, it could affect her ability to have children. What then?"

"Qingjue, what is the meaning of this question?"

Qin Shi immediately understood Ji Heng's hesitation.

Nowadays, women who have the opportunity to stand in the imperial court are basically from noble families.

Aristocratic marriages, however, were not about love; they served as a bond connecting two families.

Marriage is a union of close family ties, and the groom may not even learn the bride's name until the second step of the six rites.

Hereditary nobility and official positions were linked in this way, and in this society that valued blood ties, a woman's fertility was of paramount importance.

Once the matriarch loses her fertility, her status and power will not be affected, but the resource cooperation of the marital family in relation to the next generation will be reassessed.

If not handled properly, the close family ties could turn into a blood feud.

When sworn enemies unite, it can potentially threaten power.

Such contradictions would also have negative effects on Ji Heng before he could achieve unification or even complete control of the Qin state.

To make him restrain his temper when facing female officials, or to change the method of punishment...

That's truly wishful thinking.

Because in Ji Heng's eyes, there is no distinction between men and women, only between [useful], [usable], and [useless].

Since they have made a mistake, they are useless here and should be punished.

It doesn't matter whether it's a man or a woman, they're all the same.

but……

Good heavens! What is this Mrs. Wang asking?!

Those in power are sending a signal that they're granting authority; just open your mouth and take it, no matter what!

Let's eat it first, then we can consider all the related problems!
Alas! She felt extremely sorry for her: this Lady Wang had some foresight, but unfortunately she lacked decisiveness and could hardly accomplish anything important.

Perhaps it was because she was born in this era, and the aristocratic class naturally possessed power, that she was unaware of how difficult it was for women to gain power in the thousands of years of feudal history that followed!
Therefore, Qin Shi did not hesitate: "Let's fight then, what else is there to resolve?"

“Since you are in the court, you are an official of the Great Qin and should be under the jurisdiction of the King.” “Regardless of gender, if you make a mistake or fail to perform your duties, the King has the right to punish you.”

"If you value your fertility, then don't come to serve as an official before the king. Everyone has their own ambitions, so what's the point of saying anything more?"

Do future female leaders, entrepreneurs, and heroines ever think, "What if this affects my ability to have children?" before rushing to the front lines?

Hesitating and looking back will only prevent you from getting anything done!

If you really want better benefits, then become an official first. Once you become a high-ranking official and have more say, then you can implement this matter!
Now that the Zhou Dynasty has come to a complete end, a new unified empire has emerged, and this is the opportune moment.

The Qin state has never suppressed women, and Empress Dowager Xuan was equally outstanding in her rule. Ji Heng's ruling power was unprecedented! As long as he was alive, no aristocratic family dared to utter a sound.

This is due to the advantageous location.

Now, harmony among people is right before our eyes.

Such a perfect state of affairs might not occur even once in thousands of years.

If not now, when?

Her answer was so natural and so certain that it stunned Ji Heng.

After a moment, he laughed silently, then nodded in approval: "Indeed! You and I are of one mind!"

If I don't do well, he'll hit me; what consequences should I be afraid of?!

If anyone is afraid, they might as well resign from their post as soon as possible!

He had previously shelved this matter because his decrees had not been effectively implemented. But now that the Qin Dynasty is completely under his control, what is there left for him to worry about?
“In that case,” he pondered for a moment, “you have many complicated matters to attend to here, and you will need more people to serve you.”

"I hereby grant you permission to hold a banquet, to have a detailed discussion with your officials and their families, and to recruit more people."

This act can only be described as an immense act of kindness.

What a considerate boss!
Although no official promotion notice has been issued yet, the project team members have already granted her the authority to interview and choose for herself!

Qin Shi immediately thanked him, "Thank you, Your Majesty. However, I would like to prepare for a while first, and I hope Your Majesty will grant me permission then."

She has already been designated as the Queen of Qin, so there's no need to screen people "regardless of their status" before this is officially announced.

After all, she's the one in charge. If there aren't enough benefits to offer, why would the other party go to great lengths?

It's fine to select first, but in the early stages, she still prefers to choose low-level technical talents who lack cultural knowledge and have weak academic performance.

In addition, holding banquets, eating and drinking, observing people's conversations, and deciding on partners—this is possible, but inefficient.

Now, she is both an HR manager and a senior executive in the company.

So, once you've clearly defined your identity and want to work in this field, why not start with a written test?
The imperial examination system is far from being the right time, but that doesn't stop her from setting an example for Ji Heng!

Thinking about these arrangements, Qin Shi immediately began to summarize them again—

What type of technical talent does she need now?
Seeing that she only said a few words before burying herself back in her work, Ji Heng was secretly delighted.
As expected of me! You have excellent taste!

Therefore, when Qin Shi raised his head again, he nodded and said, "Let's follow your arrangement. Once everything is ready, let Zhou Ju make the arrangements."

……

Meanwhile, at Nangong Chu.

Consort Qin, accompanied by her maid, gracefully approached: "I have acted improperly today and disturbed Lord Qin. I have come to apologize for the long wait for the palace servants' reply."

Ji Heng: I disrespect women, and I disrespect men as well. Of course, if you are useful, I may pretend to be one.

From the bottom up, everyone is equal (in a humble way), since we're all the same anyway.

That's right, this is Ji Heng... He's definitely not a virtuous and upright person.

My super self-disciplined friend went home, sob sob...