Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 120, Section 119: The Green History of Reeds
However, despite being on the throne, he was still surrounded by enemies. But Ji Heng was never afraid of hereditary nobles.

Qin Shi didn't care at all.

No matter how numerous and complex the various forces may be, none can compare to absolute military force.

During the Tang Dynasty, powerful clans even held Emperor Taizong back. Yet, when the poem "The Lament of the Qin Woman" was recited: "The streets are strewn with the bones of officials," "Not half of the grand mansions and vermilion gates remain; in this chaotic world, they are worse than chickens"...

Under the overwhelming force of the military, those once-renowned noble families were reduced to ashes and dust, eventually disappearing into ordinary alleys.

Unfortunately, Ji Heng's control over the Qin state is now unprecedented, from top to bottom.

She chuckled softly, "Hmm, the Jiang family daughters certainly have a strong sense of unity."

From the perspective of identity alone, there is nothing wrong with this cohesion, because what man can rely on more than family interests?

Unfortunately, Qin Shi was working for King Heng of Qin.

When it comes to whose bowl you're eating, you have to consider whose interests you're taking, right? Otherwise, how can you hold onto your bowl securely?
Therefore, she was also wondering: What use is Qin Ba Zi, besides her beauty and temperament which are pleasing to the eye?

Therefore, she asked, "Ba Zi, why don't you become an official, such a smart person as you?"

Jiang Di's usually calm face suddenly showed surprise.

She imagined herself being treated coldly, scorned, punished, or simply ignored by the future queen.

Unexpectedly, the Queen of Qin, the future mistress of the harem, asked her, "Why don't you take up an official position?"
She wondered whether Qin Shi knew she would become queen, but quickly composed herself: "Your Excellency is too kind. I am a woman. If I were to become an official, what would become of the young men in my family?"

If she possesses extraordinary talent, I'd like to give it a shot.

It's a pity, they only won by a slight margin.

Each family has limited resources.

This resource includes, but is not limited to, money, power, and connections.

If even women are included in the pool of candidates for official positions, and one day they are to be married, pregnant for ten months, and give birth, but unfortunately...

In that case, all the resources accumulated over the previous one or two decades would have been wasted.

Even the goal of "forming an alliance between two families" could not be achieved.

In a family, it takes the right time and place for a person to become one of the Three Dukes or Nine Ministers. If everyone allocates resources, in the end, there will probably only be a group of clerks left.

Even if there are hundreds or thousands of low-level resources that can be easily replaced, they would hardly be able to participate in important national affairs, let alone even see the king.

What's the use?

In comparison, her path to the palace was actually the best option at the time.

Jiang Di pondered carefully, only feeling a faint regret—

She misjudged King Heng of Qin's personality.

The beauties in the palace each had their own unique charm, but to King Heng of Qin, they were all the same.

he……

Thinking of this, she gritted her teeth in resentment: King Heng of Qin is nothing like the former kings!

At this moment, she uttered these words casually, but Qin Shi sighed softly again:
"Childbirth is indeed a major hurdle."

Currently, she does not have the ability to persuade Ji Heng to allocate resources to this matter.

but--

"Haven't you already given birth? Don't you want to achieve anything significant?"

Qin Shi smiled slowly, his gaze focused:
"Perhaps centuries from now, future generations will see your name in history books. And then they will silently wonder what kind of extraordinary talent you were."

She asked again, "Jiang Di, don't you want to?" You have to offer different incentives to different people.

King Heng of Qin wanted to subdue the world, so what he loved most were divine weapons and powerful artifacts.

But what about Qin Ba Zi?
Even a queen's vague guess was enough to make her take a gamble—was she really willing to be just a "concubine" or "beauty" in the deep palace forever?

She even understood that she had no hope of regaining favor, otherwise she wouldn't have acted so hastily.

Having ambition is actually a good thing.

Qin Shi's smile deepened. Nowadays, women are no longer bound by the constraints of "humility and obedience." Although they do not hold official positions, it is not impossible that they have not thought about it.

Therefore, her voice was also melodious and gentle, full of lingering silence:
"The reeds by the river are dancing in the wind, they are truly beautiful. Don't you want someone many years from now to see them and remember that there was once a woman in my Qin state named 'Jiang Di'?"

Then she added casually, "Or, you might want to be the 'Qin Ba Zi: Princess Chan's birth mother' in the history books."

"These five words encapsulate your entire life."

Jiang Di shuddered violently!
The five words "Princess Chan's birth mother" encapsulate her entire life!
The poems, books, and rites she read, the Book of Lord Shang and the works of Laozi and Zhuangzi, the strategies for family and state that her great-uncle pointed out, and the future she contemplated in the dead of night...

No one will know those things.

No one in later generations will care what a princess's birth mother read or what talents she possessed! Unless her daughter also goes down in history.

But... but...

Jiang Di's fingers trembled slightly as she tucked them into her sleeves: As an unfavored daughter of the eighth prince, who else but herself could she find a learned scholar to teach her?

She took a deep breath, but her voice still trembled uncontrollably, and then she forced a smile:
“You flatter me, sir. I am a member of the King’s harem, how could I possibly hold an official position?”

Qin Shi smiled calmly: "I have many important matters to attend to and am simply unable to spare the time. The King has ordered me to select the families of my officials to serve me."

She looked at Jiang Di; her face, once as radiant and full as the moon, no longer held the vibrant energy of their first meeting, but instead shone with an extraordinary brightness and brilliance—

Ambition.

So, do you want to or not?

Jiang Di also suddenly looked up and boldly looked back:

"Why is she a concubine?"

Qin Shi simply smiled and remained silent.

Why Jiang Di? Is it because she's exceptionally beautiful?
No, it's that she dares to gamble and act.

More importantly, she only has one daughter, Princess Chan. For her own sake and for her daughter's sake, she would be willing to be driven by her and obey her orders.

As for Lady Chu and Lady Zheng, regardless of their usefulness or how they were used, and despite the fact that Prince Qian and Prince Chenghu had already been deemed "unfit for important tasks" by Ji Heng, but...

As the only two princes in Xianyang Palace, is it possible that they had no ambitions at all?
Once they develop selfish desires, their hearts will stray and they will become unruly—at least until hope is extinguished, they will not be obedient enough.

Since her identity is currently unclear, it's best to put her aside for the time being until she has absolute control over the six palaces, as she is not very useful.

Jiang Di quickly understood.

She no longer worried about whether Qin Shi knew she would become the Queen of Qin, because since the King had given her this power, her importance was self-evident.

She felt envious, jealous, and resentful.

But she dared not and could not do anything, and even had to do her best.

Because she didn't want to be the kind of woman whose life was summed up in just a few words in history books.

The books she had read and the policy essays she had written were not allowed.

Yay! The first senior executive in Daqin Group CEO Qin Shi's "Celebrating the New Year for the King" project team is about to join!
Hooray! Congratulations!