Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 122, Section 121: Xin's Brush and Ink
Qin Shi was immediately shocked by this silent luxury.

But it's quite nice. In Dream of the Red Chamber, they even need twenty chickens to accompany the eggplant dish. She uses a disposable menstrual belt each time, just like her simple wooden hairpin, which is very unpretentious.

Every time I go to the toilet, I have to use a fine silk handkerchief!

But if it's a matter of refusal, she won't refuse at all.

In this era where gynecological diseases are extremely difficult to treat, she refuses to do anything risky.

So she smiled and nodded.

I thought to myself that instead of racking my brains here trying to figure out how to save money, I should hurry up and speed up the process—if I can't make Xuan paper, I can always try making toilet paper.

Just then, a eunuch came to report that the envoy from Zhangtai Palace had arrived with a reward.

The golden pine crown finally appeared before everyone—

To be honest, it's not big. It's not the kind of huge hair crown that gathers all the hair in. It's more like an exquisite work of art made of gold and jade blue.

The jade-blue turquoise petroleum is as smooth as jade, without a trace of iron wire or dullness. The delicate gold wire inlaid around the edge is hidden in the blue, making the entire headdress resemble a blue butterfly fluttering freely by a green forest and pond...

Compared to the previous Four Gods Golden Crown, it appears more romantic.

Such a floral crown...

Even though Qin Shi himself considered his aesthetic sense inferior to that of Fu Cai, he still had to ask: "If you're wearing such a headdress, shouldn't your clothes be plain?"

Fu Cai was also very excited:
"Not only should it be plain, but it should also be free of other decorations."

Otherwise, adding too much would be cumbersome, and subtracting too little would lack grandeur!
Oh dear! This matches the black dress she was supposed to have made perfectly! With that thought, she didn't bother to look any further and hurriedly retreated.

Qin Shi accepted the reward and was admiring it with great delight when he heard Yi Ming arrive:
"Lord Qin, at the Imperial Medical Academy, criminal Xin requests an audience."

She was taken aback: "Xin... isn't he still seriously ill?"

She has a lot to do, but she shouldn't be exploiting people to this extent!

The doctor replied, "His fever subsided yesterday, and after resting today, he is in relatively good spirits. His knee injury is also healing."

"Therefore, upon hearing of the Qin ruler's order, I came to pay my respects to my lord immediately."

Someone like him could survive in the Ironworks with its lack of medical care and medicine, and now that he has food, medicine and rest, he is naturally even more energetic.

Now that such a great opportunity had presented itself, Xin should have seized it and focused on recovering his health. But he knew all too well that the favor of a powerful person never waits long.

What he needs to do now is to get the important person to use it as soon as possible.

Or, remember your usefulness.

Therefore, even though her knee injury was still painful, Xin still asked someone to help her all the way to Nangong.

But Qin Shi knew nothing about these plans, nor did he need to know.

Since the other party wanted to see me despite being ill, they must have some leverage that would lead to a positive outcome.

She hesitated for a moment, then said, "In that case, allow him to come see me."

……

Xin was quickly brought to the palace.

Night had fallen, and the mermaid oil lamps in the Southern Palace flickered, their light mingling with the cool, eerie air within the hall. The overly bright and comfortable environment made him shiver involuntarily, and he immediately knelt down.

"Sinner Xin pays his respects to Your Excellency."

The bluestone slabs are also cold to the touch.

He felt relieved once again—the ice available nowadays is all harvested and cut in winter, and then transported thousands of miles to the ice cellars in Xianyang Palace. The quantity is not actually that large, nor is it inexhaustible.

Yet, in this nobleman's palace, the reed curtains were still fluttering slightly in the hot wind outside, but the interior was unusually cool—given the amount of ice used, he must have earned the king's complete trust!

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but touch his head to the ground, his confidence greatly increased.

Qin Shi glanced at him and said, "Get up—prepare a chair for him." Xin's knees had almost been ruined from kneeling a few days ago, but his status as a convict required him to kneel when meeting important people.

If this continues, Qin Shi might not have an all-around secretary by his side, and a wheelchair-bound secretary would probably be the first thing Ji Heng couldn't tolerate.

The servants quickly brought over the increasingly numerous chairs in the palace and helped him sit down. Xin had never seen such strange seating before, not even before he had questioned anyone.

At this moment, the stinging pain in my knee finally eased slightly.

His forehead was covered in sweat, yet he still tried to remain composed.

"Thank you, sir."

Qin Shi looked at him—he had probably been taken care of by his servants; although he was now wearing coarse clothes, he no longer looked as disheveled and wretched as he had been.

Upon closer inspection, it even exudes a scholarly air.

"Why are you in such a hurry to see me?" she asked slowly.

Xin bowed and said, “Your Excellency, although my knee is injured, I can still write and paint and serve Your Excellency. Please give me your instructions.”

Otherwise, someone of his rank, convicted of a crime, would be restless and anxious lying in the Imperial Hospital every day.

And then there's Mo... Mo, who is so clueless about human relationships, was initially misunderstood because he saw Mo's innocent nature and therefore didn't teach him harshly.

Now, however, I can't help but worry.

Qin Shi laughed: "You're worried about Mo, aren't you?"

She seemed unusually gentle, unlike the person I had seen at the Ironworks that day.

But Xin never dared to guess the thoughts of those in power, because life and death were often decided in their jokes.

Therefore, he could only bow his head deeply.

Qin Shi didn't care, and simply ordered, "Prepare a table, writing brush, ink, and silk for him."

Then he said, "Mo said that you are particularly skilled in calligraphy and painting, and also have some knowledge of craftsmanship. His thoughts can be fully expressed on paper through your brush."

"In that case, let me briefly describe something, and you can try to draw it."

"If it could really be drawn, then you would have many more choices."

When a benefactor gives instructions, it naturally means giving them an opportunity.

Xin looked at the cloth quietly unfolding before him, picked up a brush, but did not immediately dip it in ink. Instead, he calmly said:

"Please give your orders, Your Excellency."

For a moment, Qin Shi had a million things she wanted to do, but after thinking it over, the first thing she wanted to do was completely unrelated to her original idea.

But this is it.

"Let me give you a simple description first. If the description isn't accurate, I'll also draw a rough sketch for you to refer to—it looks like a giant pair of scissors, but the tip isn't sharp; it's more like a wide spoon, slightly concave..."

The description is somewhat general, but with the help of Qin Shi's not-so-skilled drawing, the key parts are clearly shown.

When Xin heard this, he did indeed frown deeply, and it was very difficult to gauge his reaction.

But upon seeing the drawing she had made, he immediately picked up his brush and dipped it in ink:

"Let's give it a try for now."

Despite the physical pain and recent recovery from a serious illness, his hand holding the pen remained steady, and his writing flowed smoothly and naturally.

He would occasionally add details to a certain area, and before long, a simple drawing would appear on the silk.

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