Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 160, Section 159: Qin Ai's Extravagant Love
According to the average person's thinking, since they have been so shocked tonight and cannot sleep at night, they should seriously think about the many details.

They may become engrossed in their emotions or continue to dig deeper.

But for Ji Heng, although he was born an unfavored prince of Qin, he became the King of Qin in his youth.

He was then able to rule in his own right, wielding power, and naturally the whole world had to obey his commands.

Therefore, although his emotions were slightly affected, he didn't delve into the implications at all. Anyway—

The queen was also completely under his control.

Although the other party had only been away for three or four days, he was already feeling a strong longing for her and could no longer suppress his feelings. However, the other party has always been sincere and has never concealed his feelings in daily life, so it is only natural that he could not hide these thoughts of love.

All he needed to consider was that the other party had no family connections and no ties to the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, making her the best candidate for queen.

Even before he had officially appointed him to any position, the other party had already diligently offered many excellent strategies for the Qin Dynasty.

This heartfelt sentiment is especially precious.

Given that, there's not much to say about his tolerance.

Ah, the Queen's exclusive love...

He closed his eyes, having made his decision, and hoped that Qin Qing would not fail to live up to his favor.

……

Qin Shi didn't wake up until after nine o'clock on the second day.

The curtains were drawn low around her, and she had forgotten when she had fallen asleep. However, it was clear that the doctor had properly shielded her from the sun.

As she sat up in a daze, there was immediately a commotion outside the hall.

The deeply pleated silk bed curtains were drawn back, and the sky outside the palace was dimly lit. Inside, the ice in the bronze mirror had long since melted into a pool of lukewarm water.

When the servants opened the window again, a cool breeze blew in, and Qin Shi immediately smiled:

"It's gotten colder today."

Akane can understand the word "cooling down".

She smiled and said, "Yes. The summer heat has subsided considerably today. Would Your Majesty like to take a stroll around Xianyang Palace?"

As she spoke, she recalled the shocking events of the previous night and quickly added, "Why don't you go to Zhangtai Palace to see the King first, Qin Jun? Just after dawn today, the King has already bestowed upon you many pearls, gold, silks, and brocades."

She helped Qin Shi get out of bed, describing as follows:
"The King has bestowed another box of South Sea pearls, just like the ones that Qin Jun previously adored."

When Qin Shi went to see the "box" after washing up and having breakfast, he immediately understood that the description of the Red Woman was not an exaggeration at all.

Inside a wooden box about 80 centimeters long, large South Sea pearls, exuding a gentle luster, were piled together, their pink, white, yellow, and purple hues incredibly lustrous.

This scene was indescribably beautiful and magnificent.

The wealth and grandeur that existed only in the extravagant descriptions of the ancients were so easily presented to her eyes.

Qin Shi was speechless.

Even in later generations, she had never seen a box of plastic pearls with such beautiful colors.

"Treasures and jade, gold nuggets and pearls, were scattered and discarded, and the people of Qin did not cherish them much..."

She smiled and sighed softly, "Qin loves extravagance..."

The Red Maiden wondered why she sighed, "Does the King of Qin no longer love South Pearls?"

"No." Qin Shi squatted down and reached out to grab a handful of lustrous, slightly cool pearls.

The beads felt heavy in my palm, each one radiating a faint glow like pearls. With another tilt, the large, round beads scattered back into the air.

Who wouldn't love this?

"I love so much."

She was an ordinary woman who carried her makeup bag even when she was seriously ill, trying to maintain her beauty even in her final moments.

"But, Akane, some things are just nice to have, and that's enough for me."

She stood up, ignoring the layers of gifts presented by the attendants on either side, and slowly walked out of the palace. A light rain was falling outside; she took a deep breath, feeling incredibly refreshed.

Then he smiled and said, "I love fine clothes, delicacies, pearls and gold."

“I am an ordinary person. I cannot endure such hardship by eating simple meals and wearing coarse clothes every day.”

"But I am already very satisfied with having even a little of these beautiful things; any more would be a burden."

The Red Woman did not understand.

"Your Majesty reigns supreme over the world and possesses the wealth of the four seas. The Queen of Qin is also my Queen of Qin. Such treasures should naturally be enjoyed by you."

"What burdens should there be?"

Qin Shi sighed: She didn't want to have such a burden either.

However, given the current limitations in technology and materials, the survival rate of cultured pearls is likely to be less than 50%.

Moreover, it takes 3 years for the pearl to form, but the pearl is not round and full like this. Most of them are not well-shaped, and the quality is poor and lacks luster.

In today's aristocratic lifestyle where labor and human life are considered worthless, such pearls would never appear before them.

Therefore, it still mainly relies on manual pearl harvesting.

Do you know how to harvest pearls?

The woman shook her head: She grew up in a place with only ponds and rivers. Even if there were some oysters in the ponds, they wouldn't produce pearls.

"Tie a hemp rope around your waist, wrap yourself in fish skin, and venture into the deep sea to find the pearl."

But the deep sea has sharks, undercurrents, and submersion disease caused by water pressure.

Pearl divers not only have short lifespans and are plagued by diseases, but also have a low survival rate of only one in ten, as they spend most of their time underwater.

As dynasties progressed, pearl divers gained more ways to breathe and travel by boat, but the mortality rate remained exceptionally high.

During the Ming Dynasty, the Pearl Harvesting Bureau forced pearl farmers to risk their lives to harvest pearls, resulting in "ten thousand people going to sea, and more than a thousand dying."

More importantly, these pearls are not all beautiful, qualified, large, and round from the first harvest.

It is very likely that only one out of hundreds or thousands of seeds can be selected to be presented to Xianyang.

The woman fell silent.

She had suffered the hardships of ordinary people—countless corvée labor and taxes weighed heavily on her heart.

However, if the Qin Dynasty truly did not want these South Sea pearls, then the South Sea Commandery, which presented them, would have to levy additional taxes and corvée labor.

This is also why the Qin Dynasty could not feign simplicity.

If she advocates frugality, the fishermen by the sea will be unable to cultivate the land, and other seafood will be unable to be transported and sold at high prices, so they will be unable to pay taxes. The nobles will take advantage of this to hoard pearls at low prices, and they will also have no way to survive.

Pearl harvesting is like mining; it carries the weight of life and death for millions, yet it is equally unavoidable.

However, Qin Shi was never one to criticize himself.

Now that she even has servants, there's no need for her to wallow in self-pity over a box of pearls—she shows disdain and indifference to the king's favor and even advises him to be frugal…

Not every emperor was a famous figure like the "Heavenly Khan" or "Emperor Taizong of Tang".

If such words are spoken in front of Ji Heng, then what was the purpose of building the countless palace complexes surrounding Xianyang Palace?

If I absolutely have to say something, I'll wait until the time is right.

Therefore, after wandering around for a while, she composed herself and happily returned to Nangong.
"Come with me to thank the king for his reward."

Before the words were even out of his mouth, a servant at the door reported back:

"Your Majesty is departing for Shanglin Garden today. Lord Qin, why don't you rest in the palace for a day first?"

　Tripods and cauldrons, jade and precious stones, gold nuggets and pearls, were scattered and discarded; the Qin people regarded them with little regard. —From "The Rhapsody on the Epang Palace"

　　But the Epang Palace only exists in people's imaginations, because only its foundation was laid.

　　(End of this chapter)