Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 183, Section 182: The Name of the Epang Palace
Qin Shi was able to guess Ji Heng's meaning.

However, there are only a few people in the harem. She is a manager with real power. If she can't manage things well and even suffers losses, wouldn't she be too useless?

Moreover, she was too busy today to summon anyone. Since she hadn't even seen him, there was no question of showing any respect or offense.

With everything so busy these days, instead of doing my own research to understand the women in the harem, I should let them have more time to understand me.

After all, with a new president parachuted in, it's better to let the group's employees get to know him than to do their homework on him.

Therefore, it was decided that after the sacrificial ceremony at the Temple of Heaven ended in two days, I would come back to see these people again. If I could find a few as useful as Qin Ba Zi among them, that would be a worthwhile gain.

Ji Heng naturally followed her wishes in making these arrangements.

At this moment, I am more concerned about another matter: "Zhou Ju reported today that you need to carefully consider the name of the palace in Shanglin Garden, and only temporarily named it Epang?"

Qin Shi felt a tremor in his heart at the thought of that name, but he showed no sign of it, simply shaking his head.
“I just feel that Your Majesty doesn’t need to rush to build this palace.”

Ji Heng raised his head, a hint of confusion in his expression.

Nowadays, building a palace is not done at a rate of one floor every three days, but rather starts with tamping down the loess soil to lay the foundation.

This preliminary task alone will probably take three to ten years.

Then the whole world was searching for giant trees and stones, and the craftsmen worked diligently... If they wanted to build the palace in his mind, it would take at least one or two decades, so how could they be in a hurry?
However, Qin Shi had been calculating manpower since the day construction began, so he naturally had to deliberately delay the process.

Leaving aside the money spent on building the Epang Palace, just consider the current domestic labor force—does it really require people to serve year-round?

What hope is there for life then? The people have lost all initiative.

However, there are other methods to offer advice.

For example, at this moment, she said in a very natural tone, "The craftsmanship of this palace is no different from that of the Xianyang Palace, even though it was built at this time."

"But if we wait a little longer, and if the Ironworks makes a successful innovation, we can use some iron slag and iron powder to make new materials and then make cement."

"This material is sturdy and durable, and is an indispensable building material."

"If the new style of glazed tile firing is successful, the new palace can be covered with glazed tile windows on a large scale, which will be dazzling and eye-catching."

"Next, I also need to prepare many surprises for Your Majesty. If we build a palace and conscript all the laborers, wouldn't that affect Your Majesty's mood?"

She nestled close to Ji Heng, turning her head to look back, her eyes sparkling, yet her posture unusually soft.

Ji Heng wanted to say that there weren't enough laborers, so he should recruit another batch, but seeing the Queen looking at him with longing, she seemed to want to do something to make him happy.

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back down in silence.

Qin Shi's smile deepened, and he was even more delighted.

She turned away from Ji Heng's embrace, and before he could say anything, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders again, giving him a sweet hug.
"Your Majesty, you are so kind to me."

Ji Heng had a thousand words to say, but he couldn't say them at this moment. He could only tighten his arms and pull her into his embrace.

……

In the side hall, Zhou Ju was sitting there enjoying the eunuch's leg massage, while glancing at the blushing maidservant standing guard at the entrance to the queen's bedchamber, and then contentedly sipping his sweet tea.

The Queen made no attempt to hide her affection for the King, and she was completely at ease in front of him, which far surpassed that of the other women in the harem.

Furthermore, she was sincere and gentle, and she was used to expressing her feelings directly. The king, however, was more interested in politics and could not stand women who were clearly afraid but still clung to him. That was why he rarely lingered in the harem.

But that doesn't mean he's not manly enough.

Oh!

The King and Queen are a match made in heaven!
He glanced sideways at the respectfully attending eunuch and asked:

"Have any of the ladies of the harem come to inquire about the Queen's affairs in the past few days?"

The eunuch immediately said, "The prefect is very discerning. Both Lady Chu and Lady Zheng have sent people to inquire, as have Lady Yue and Lady Qi... Only Lady Qin remains silent."

Zhou Ju snorted, feeling a sense of self-assurance that he was the only one who was sober while everyone else was drunk.

"If anyone asks again, there is no need to say anything." "From now on, the Queen's voice will be the only one heard in the palace."

Huang was surprised.

After a moment, he carefully considered his question and asked, "The ladies of the harem are all in the prime of their youth... And just a few days ago, didn't the Prefectural Magistrate tell the Junior Minister of the Imperial Household Department that he was going to select beauties from all over the country?"

"If we continue with this hardline approach, what will happen in the future..."

Zhou Ju, however, took another sip of tea with relish—a tea recipe from the Western Regions given to him by the Queen. Milk, tea leaves, and a touch of brown sugar were simmered together over low heat, resulting in a fragrant, invigorating, and exceptionally sweet drink.

He has fallen in love now.

At this moment, I can only sigh: "There's no need to mention the matter of selecting beauties from all over the world. With pearls and jade by our side, who would care about broken stones and rubble?"

As for the women in the harem...

To be honest, in terms of sincerity, they are no match for the Queen.

In terms of love for the King, it pales in comparison.

In terms of physical health and intellectual capacity, they are far inferior.

Moreover, they cannot resolve the [Falling Star of Dongjun], nor can they bring the King [divine weapons], nor can they spread the King's reputation for benevolence throughout the world through coal...

Why should Your Majesty waste your energy on such women?

It was all for nothing.

Now all he asks is that the Queen can give birth to a qualified crown prince for their Great Qin, so that the whole country can have more confidence and be more stable!
If only the Queen could move into Ganquan Palace soon.

If Your Majesty comes every day, it will be very inconvenient for you to read the memorials in your carriage.

……

And at this moment.

In a side hall of Lanchi Palace, Hei Mu staggered to his feet amidst the heavy lights, his steps faltering and his head spinning.

Even between his eyes, there was a shimmering golden star effect and a hazy, dark mist.

But none of this could diminish the smile on his face.

The important person asked him to memorize the picture, and he did!

Now, it has also been enlarged and drawn!
Inside the empty hall, apart from the lamps, there was nothing else to be furnished. In the corner, there were a few inkstones and thin bamboo brushes scattered about, and there were faint traces of messy ink on the wall.

but!
On the enormous, snow-white silk fabric before us, meticulously joined together by the weavers, the densely packed lines winding in all directions were so clear and distinct.

Above are many simple characters that are different from seal script.

In addition, there was another painting hanging on the wall, which has now dried completely. The only difference is the pattern painted on it, but its level of detail is almost the same as the one on the ground.

"I...did it!"

He accomplished the task entrusted to him by the important person!

Just as he was about to cheer, there was a knock on the palace door:

"Lord Black Eyes, it's time to apply a warm compress to your eyes."

"The Queen has decreed that no one should strain their eyes after nightfall, or else a serving of meat and eggs will be forfeited..."

The joy on Hei Mu's face instantly turned to panic. He blinked his eyes, which had recovered but were still bloodshot, and hurriedly left the hall.
"I'll apply a hot compress right now, I didn't use my eyes! I just came to proofread... I, I've finished proofreading! No need to take away my steamed meatloaf and scrambled eggs!"

　I feel my writing has improved...

　　Also, thank you Qianqiu for the generous donation! Every book has a reader in the front row! And there are so many other readers whose names I haven't listed individually, such as Shiyue, Miya, Yanzhihu, and others…

　　Thank you everyone!!
　　(End of this chapter)