Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 191, Section 190: Luxurious Glass
It is now the harvest season, and all sorts of things are in disarray.

Ji Heng sat comfortably in Zhangtai Palace, and the number of carriages transporting memorials from all over Xianyang every day was unknown.

Now, suddenly hearing the Queen request an audience during the day, Zhou Ju felt as if it were yesterday.

After all, ever since the king announced the appointment of the queen, Qin Qing had never been seen during the day again.

Now they've suddenly appeared...

He pondered deeply, knowing that the other party was definitely not there to offer soup and water to comfort the king, and he also recalled that his attendant had previously reported that an iron official had come to Xianyang.

He was filled with anticipation and quickly informed Ji Heng.

"Your Majesty, the Queen requests an audience."

Ji Heng paused, his vermilion brush still in his hand: "Summon."

Taking this opportunity, Zhou Ju quickly served hot tea and snacks: "Your Majesty, we have read sixty catties of memorials today. Please rest for a while."

Ji Heng glanced at him, then picked up his teacup: "What brings the Queen here?"

As they were talking, Qin Shi entered Zhangtai Palace, his cheeks rosy and his spirits high.

"Your Majesty, I have come to present you with a treasure."

"I wonder how Your Majesty will reward me if you are truly pleased?"

Ji Heng raised an eyebrow: His queen, whom he had always bestowed with treasures, was now offering more—

The thought had barely crossed his mind when he saw Qin Shi already sitting comfortably beside him, his movements both familiar and affectionate.

Ji Heng felt helpless and was about to say something when he saw the Empress beckoning to the maids below the steps:

“Lord Zhou, please present the treasure in the hands of the Red Maiden to the King.”

It is truly unsafe for someone holding a sharp weapon to come into close contact with the king.

Now that he had gone to all this trouble, Zhou Ju couldn't help but click his tongue in disapproval.
Despite the Queen's deep affection for the King and her intimate and slightly inappropriate behavior, she never does anything that truly touches the King's sensitive feelings.

How measured he was!
Then he opened the box at the foot of the steps, and his eyes lit up again:
"Your Majesty! Inside the box is a superb divine weapon!"

Although Qin Shi had not seen many weapons, he knew that the king's arsenal contained many divine weapons and powerful artifacts.

Whether it's the precious sword Tai'a that the king himself holds, or the short sword he carries in his sleeve every day, they are all vastly different from the iron sword in front of him.

Its sharp, gleaming light, its unique texture, and its clear, frosty white iron-like quality!
He held the box high, bowed, stepped onto the stairs, and carefully presented it to Ji Heng.

Ji Heng regained his composure, clearly having already sensed something was amiss.

At that moment, he picked up the short sword from the box.

The heavy, icy touch landed in my palm, but was quickly warmed up by the heat of my hand.

The iron official arrived in a hurry, and the short sword was clearly not yet fitted with a scabbard inlaid with gold and jade.

But precisely because of this, the extremely sharp blade appears even more cold and incomparably sharp against the backdrop of black brocade.

"What a divine weapon!"

He held the sword hilt in his right hand and gently supported the blade with his left, examining it closely with undisguised delight in his eyes.

Seeing his joy, Qin Shi also felt a surge of happiness at successfully presenting the treasure.

"Would Your Majesty like to give it a try?"

She was also very much looking forward to it.

Of course, we should try it.

But this was just a short sword, so there was no need to go to the training ground. Ji Heng simply drew the short sword from his sleeve.

His short sword was also a divine weapon he acquired in the State of Chu.

The same technique of refining iron was already considered the pinnacle of Qin weaponry at that time.

Compared to the one in my hand, this sword is also thicker and heavier.

However, the craftsmanship dates back several decades, and now it doesn't have that sharp, angular look.

The scabbard of the short sword was gently removed, and Qin Shi, without being told, obediently left his seat and stood not far away.

A wise man does not stand under a crumbling wall; she had always been very careful with herself. Ji Heng gave her an approving look, then with a forceful clash of their weapons, a resounding clang rang out!
The sound of metal clashing echoed faintly in the hall, but looking at the two short swords, they were completely undamaged.

Ji Heng laughed loudly:

"Excellent! It truly is a divine weapon!"

His strength was already far superior to that of ordinary people.

Moreover, his original short sword was a divine weapon of the Chu Kingdom, but the one he presented was clearly an ordinary finished product after the craftsmanship was completed.

Now that the two have interacted without any harm, how could he not be overjoyed?
However, it was difficult for one person to hold it with enough force, so he couldn't even bother to write the memorial and got up impatiently.

"Where is the General of the Central Army? Quickly send two strongmen to test this divine weapon with me."

Qin Shi was quite helpless:

"Your Majesty."

She laughed from the side, "This short sword alone is hardly worthy of Your Majesty. The Iron Official has brought other treasures with him today."

Ji Heng immediately raised his eyebrows.

Before long, the iron official was already kneeling and bowing in front of the hall, trembling with fear.

The attendants gently carried the two boxes.

Upon opening it, one finds a Qin longsword that is no different from the standard Qin swords used by the Qin army today.

It is made using the same forging process.

The blade is slightly thicker and heavier than the previous short sword; it should be invincible in battle.

In the other box was a single, smooth piece of glass.

The glass has a light bluish-green color, but it is exceptionally clear.

At first glance, it resembles a clear lake, free from the flaws and impurities of the glass commonly used in the palace today.

The iron official, who had previously spoken eloquently and proudly at the Orchid Pool, now dared only prostrate himself on the ground before the King of Qin, trembling with fear, and slowly explained:

"The Queen discussed new technological processes with the iron officials, and also improved upon some secret techniques that were not passed down in Chu. There was also blast furnace coke..."

He recounted in detail the achievements of the Qin Dynasty and greatly admired the iron that had been smelted.

With sufficient high temperatures, the efficiency of iron smelting is far superior to that of the past, not to mention the exceptionally high quality.

Even this glass is quite different.

Strictly speaking, what was previously fired at low temperatures was glass.

It can be obtained with a high temperature of 800~1000°.

With the breakthrough in technology and the availability of high temperatures, what it produces can now be called glass.

Furthermore, by employing methods such as the Qin Dynasty's method of smoothing and solidifying molten tin above the surface, and through numerous experiments, the smooth, transparent, bluish-green glass plate that exists today was finally achieved.

From the perspective of the Qin Dynasty, it wasn't that different from the blue and green glass of later generations.

Moreover, compared to the glass that is now called "precious jade," the cost of glass is more stable and cheaper.

Qin Shi was therefore delighted and said:

"With such new techniques, making large pieces of glass is not difficult. May I ask Your Majesty, if I were to use such glass to inlay the windows of Ganquan Palace, would it seem too extravagant?"

Ji Heng frowned slightly.

"The Queen is the Queen of my Qin Kingdom. She only uses some glass. How can that be considered extravagant? I have pearls, jade, and luminous pearls in my treasury. You may use them to inlay her as well."

Qin Shi: ...

She was presumptuous.

Compared to His Majesty, the luxuries she considered were nothing but child's play.

　Memorials to the emperor: Documents presented by officials to the emperor; a general term encompassing all kinds of memorials to the emperor, covering a wide range.

　　Memorial to the emperor: This is a type of "memorial to the emperor." It is a more targeted form of written memorial, usually a lengthy document in which a subject presents his or her opinions and suggestions to the emperor on a specific political matter or issue.

　　
　　(End of this chapter)