Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 121, 120. Artemisia argyi ash
As Jiang Di walked out of the Southern Palace, the golden sun was setting in the west, and the entire city of Xianyang seemed to be shrouded in a dazzling afterglow, so brilliant that one dared not look at it for long.

She lingered in front of the carriage for a long time, never before feeling that the place was so spacious, and that she had the freedom to show her skills.

She let out a long sigh.

The maid Ruo had been following her for a long time, and now asked hesitantly, "Why did the Eighth Prince agree to the nobleman's offer so easily, and why did he deliberately have Prince Qian test her this morning?"

Even if we consider her rank as a "beauty," she shouldn't be related to the Queen. Besides, among the Eight Princes, there's only a princess. If anyone should be anxious, it's Lady Chu and Lady Zheng.

Jiang Di paused for a moment, then sighed, "Because I'm not reconciled."

Unwilling to forever remain confined to the Cicada Palace, listening to cicadas and watching winter snow, unwilling to be completely invisible to the King, unwilling to remain silent even after the Queen is born…

She wanted to test the queen's abilities and also her character.

She's taking this gamble because she wants a possibility.

Unfortunately, the bet was lost.

Fortunately, she was finally seen and was about to be reused from an unprecedented direction!
At this moment, she recalled the simple wooden hairpin in Qin Shi's hair and murmured, "I want my Achan to be respected even if she wears plain clothes and a wooden hairpin!"

She should be like Qin Jun, shining brightly even when speaking softly and slowly.

……

In the Southern Palace, Qin Shi looked at the familiar items that were exactly the same as those in the Orchid Palace, and for a moment he was really confused as to whether he had moved or not.

It wasn't until Wu Zi asked, "Lord Qin, would you like to take a look at the gifts that Ba Zi offered as an apology?"

Qin Shi became interested: "Take a look. By the way, His Majesty also bestowed a green pine crown with gold trim, which will probably be delivered later. You arrange the clothing; I want to wear it tomorrow."

She touched the wooden hairpin in her hair: It seems this is still too plain.

Wu Zi controls Qin Shi's private treasury. She has been frequently traveling and bestowing gifts recently, but the cost is only a few gold coins, which is negligible compared to the income she has received recently.

Therefore, he became even happier: "Qin Ba Zi's family was not wealthy, and in addition, a member of his clan had just become a criminal before he entered the palace, so he carried very little wealth with him..."

As she spoke, she instructed the maids to unfold a piece of silk: "Please look, Your Majesty. This silk has been stored for a long time, and its color has faded. It must be one of Qin Ba Zi's most treasured possessions."

"This set of openwork cloisonné woven pearl bracelets, the pearls on them have all turned yellow, it was probably presented by the Imperial Household Department when she was conferred the title of Consort."

All of them were quite old, but judging from their value, her sincerity was indeed enough.

Qin Shi laughed and said, "If everyone apologized like this, I would surely be an extremely magnanimous and benevolent person."

The Red Maiden replied, "The King of Qin is inherently magnanimous and benevolent."

"Qin Ba Zi is acting this way, and the Qin ruler is still willing to tolerate it and even give her a chance. If this continues, she may be bullied."

Her face had gradually become fuller, which now added a touch of childishness, yet she spoke with a serious and mature air, making Qin Shi unable to help but smile:
"Yes, I will be more careful next time."

She then looked at the faded silk and bracelet: "Since she has apologized, this is my responsibility—Wu Zi, you can divide this silk among yourselves."

Such things are absolutely forbidden for Fu Cai to wear.

"The gold bracelet has been melted down to make a new gold hairpin. The pearl has lost its luster, so let Yiming grind it into pearl powder for medicine."

Everyone instantly cheered.

Only Fu Cai hesitated slightly: "If Qin Ba Zi treasures these fabrics, and we servants wear them, won't she feel resentful and ruin Qin Jun's important plans?"

Qin Shi raised an eyebrow slightly: "Fu Cai, the King bestowed upon me the Chihu Seal, not so that I would be meticulous in everything."

Have you not heard of Princess Wen, who was meticulous in everything she did, yet he judged her to be: "Waiting in the mud will only invite the enemy."

The more you try to please everyone, the less you can please everyone, and it also reduces efficiency. Now, she is a person in a position of real power.

She just needs to do what the other party does. If they're dissatisfied, she can just drag it out and find someone else.

In the vast and powerful Qin Dynasty, such non-technical talents are not irreplaceable.

The hall was silent.

Fu Cai was stunned for a moment, then stammered, "The King of Qin just now looked remarkably like the King..."

The Red Woman nodded in agreement.

Then she nodded emphatically and said to herself, "Your Majesty admires the virtue of Heishui, and the King of Qin also has a black dress that he has not yet worn. This servant has been sewing on it with turquoise and gold thread overnight to make it, and it will surely match the new crown tomorrow!"

After saying this, he grabbed the fabric and hurriedly retreated to the side hall.

Qin Shi: ...

She couldn't help but touch her cheek: Does it really look like it?
But not long after, Fu Cai came again with a box for Qin Shi to examine:

"This is……"

What animal hide?
Fu Cai said helplessly, "Lord Qin, this is a menstrual belt."

Qin Shi's vision went black: Yes, this is what she wants to use!

But since we can't get rid of it or avoid it.

She quickly accepted it, and picked up a note to examine it closely: "It's quite substantial."

It certainly carries significant weight.

Fu Cai smiled knowingly at this.

Because Qin Jun was constantly on the move and couldn't rest in bed like other noble ladies, she experimented with making many spare parts, and also referred to the sayings of the Qin Dynasty:
"The surface is covered with two layers of fine silk cloth, and the middle is filled with wood ash. Don't worry, Your Majesty, the wood ash was made by me personally overseeing the burning of mugwort in the palace kitchen, and it was carefully sifted, so it is definitely clean."

Qin Shi had no doubt about this.

Wood ash is the most convenient disinfectant throughout history. Even in rural areas in the 1990s and 2000s, there was still a simple way to disinfect wounds by sprinkling wood ash on them.

This is even healthier than some unknown chemical substances from later generations.

But the determination of the costume and color company to do well naturally goes beyond this:
The ash from burning pure mugwort is sieved, densely packed, and evenly sewn together—although it's impossible to fix the zones, it's still quite uniform.

The bottom layer is made of the finest lambskin, tanned a hundred times to ensure both softness and comfort against the skin, while minimizing the leakage of wood ash...

After going to such lengths, Qin Shi could only grit his teeth and say, "Fu Cai, you've worked hard."

Fu Cai, however, did not take credit. Seeing that Qin Shi had nothing to modify, she took the sample back.

"If Lord Qin does not want to look at it, I will send half of it to the palace to boil it in water, dry it, and then expose it to the scorching sun at noon tomorrow."

She was unaware of the disinfecting effect of boiling water, but since Qin Jun's personal clothing all had this requirement, she followed suit.

It's just a menstrual belt, why go to such lengths to maintain your health...

Qin Shi said helplessly, "Wouldn't boiling and sun-drying this sheepskin ruin it after just one or two uses?"

Wood ash can be easily removed from the tightly sewn silk cloth and disposed of as a replacement.

Fu Cai laughed and said, "Your Majesty is joking. How could something used by a noble person be reused repeatedly? Naturally, it would all be burned at once."

Here it comes! The ultimate human resources luxury squeezed out of the upper class in ancient times always appeared in unknown corners.