Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 198, Section 197: A Long and Arduous Journey [Two Chapters Combined]

When asked about the Queen's question, Wuyou bowed solemnly, his voice coming from below in a deep, devout tone:
"I will certainly not fail you!"

They have made many promises like this today.

Qin Shi just smiled and said, "That may be true, but we don't have much sugar and tea in stock this year. Even if we were to do this business, we would have to wait until next year."

"You may proceed with the coal matter I have instructed you to handle."

The Baiyue region has not yet been completely conquered, and even though the Nanhai Commandery sends some tribute, the quantity is not large. For example, the jujubes used to make brown sugar have not yet been successfully delivered to Xianyang since the king's decree was issued.

Tea goes without saying.

Nowadays, tea is often accompanied by various ingredients, but what Qin Shi wanted to trade with people were the simple roasted or fermented green tea, black tea, oolong tea, and pu-erh tea of ​​later generations.

Although she wasn't familiar with the techniques involved, the creativity of the people these days is quite impressive. She only needed to explain a few key points, and from this year to next, people would repeatedly try it out.

In addition, if there were more manpower available, the quality of the salt could be further improved. However, there is actually quite a lot of salt in the Western Regions right now, so its value cannot be maximized, and therefore the project has been temporarily shelved.

She was certain in her heart, and although her words were understated, they represented the promise of a queen.

Even if such a future were not truly possible, Wuyou and Madam Ba would still do their utmost, carrying that golden hairpin with them.

Mrs. Ba listened from the side, feeling extremely envious.

Fortunately, both she and the Queen were women, so why did Wuyou steal the first spot?
She looked at the Queen with great anticipation, her eyes filled with hope.

But Qin Shi doesn't have any business to do with her right now.

Logically speaking, it's only natural for women to engage in some lucrative business dealings.

However, when it comes to clothing and footwear, people's aesthetic sense and habits are now more prominent than his own, so Qin Shi really couldn't offer any suggestions.

Given the current lack of advanced industrial technology, let's leave rouge and face powder as they are.

Even the simplest soap, pig pancreas soap—ordinary people couldn't afford it, and the wealthy disdained to use it.

After all, this dish requires a lot of oil to make. In an era when people still don't have enough to eat, a pig might take two or three years to grow to a certain weight, so the quantity can't be increased.

Not to mention that the quality of this simple soap was probably not even as good as modern cleaning products.

After all, the palace had skilled physicians, and the daily necessities she provided, even the simplest soap powder and tooth powder, were just as effective at cleaning as the toothpaste and facial cleanser used before the Qin Dynasty.

The glass business is worth doing—but it's not the right time.

Firstly, the glass industry is not yet on a large scale.

Secondly, making mirrors from glass involves overly complex processes, and the finished product might not even be as clear as modern bronze mirrors. Furthermore, it would be difficult to transport…

Qin Shi considered all aspects of his business from start to finish, but at this moment he could not find any suitable business opportunities.

That's it.

Now that we've painted so many rosy pictures, let's see how well they can actually eat them.

Therefore, he ignored Madam Ba's expression.

Mrs. Ba was not discouraged.

With such a coal business, she could expand her business all over the country. Right now, the most important thing is to take advantage of Wuyou's busy expansion into the Western Regions and try her best to expand her territory as much as possible.

Thinking of this, she happily touched the gold hairpin in her hair.

This leap in social class will surely be recorded in a thick volume of the family genealogy a hundred years from now, making this journey worthwhile!
Qin Shi glanced at his watch—to meet such an important person, the two people before him probably hadn't eaten or drunk anything in order to avoid making a fool of themselves.

It has already taken quite some time to get from the gates of Xianyang Palace to Lanchi, and now we've had this much discussion...

Therefore, she instructed, "Wu Zi, arrange for someone to take the two merchants to enjoy the scenery by the Orchid Pond."

"I also want the palace chef to prepare some of his specialties; I want to entertain my guests."

Wu Zi was well aware of the Queen's thoughtfulness.

At this moment, upon giving the order, servants came to lead the two to change clothes, rest, and stretch their bodies.

Upon receiving this order, the entire imperial kitchen staff did their utmost.

These humble merchants from outside the palace have now stumbled upon the opportunity to meet the Queen in person, and they certainly cannot tarnish the Queen's reputation!
Steamed buns, brown sugar wheat cakes, fragrant noodle soup, and fine rice wine brewed using the Queen's method!
Arrange them all!

……

Lady Ba and U had never met any important figures in their lives, but they were still trembling with fear at the Queen's courteous treatment.

They all marveled at this once-in-a-millennium opportunity, while at the same time, they couldn't help but cautiously try to glean some information from the sidelines.

—Although it was somewhat offensive, even presenting gifts failed to win the Queen's favor.

If we don't investigate further, there will be absolutely no room for forgiveness if there is another offense.

……

Madam Ba was helped aside to wash her hands and change her clothes.

Only one maid remained in the room, who was carefully tidying up her coarse cloth clothes.

But look at her, even as a palace maid, she has a delicate and fresh silk dress, while they, as merchants, even if they are extremely wealthy, cannot show these things to others.

The more this was the case, the bolder Madam Ba became, wanting to fight for a promotion for herself.

Therefore, seeing that the room was quiet, she naturally took out a delicate golden plum blossom the size of her fingertip from her sleeve and quietly placed it in the maid's hand.

At the same time, she asked in a low voice, "May I ask this lady, I presented the glass tree today, but it seems the Queen does not like it. Is there some taboo I have violated?"

The maidservants usually accompanied Wu Zi in serving the Queen.

He accepted the small golden plum blossom with utter ease, then glanced at Madam Ba, thinking to himself:
The chief clerk's account was accurate; this Lady Ba was indeed both cautious and bold.

If she were to ask the Queen what she liked, and dared to reveal it herself, it would certainly be a violation of the rules.

But the only question is whether there are any taboos associated with the glass tree...

The maid smiled slightly:
"Madam is joking."

“There’s nothing rare about glass. Right now, the workshop has many bright, transparent, and flawless glass pieces, waiting to be used to inlay window frames and screens for our Queen’s Ganquan Palace.”

"Even if I accept this mere glass tree, it wouldn't be appropriate to present it to someone else as a gift."

"It's just that the Queen is magnanimous and doesn't want to say it and embarrass the lady."

That's a dismissive remark.

But it was precisely this attitude that made Madam Ba feel intimidated.

Then I couldn't help but laugh at myself—

Although she kept a low profile when she traveled, she did not believe that her family was inferior to those noble families.

But now that I think about it, I really knew nothing about this King of Qin who unified the world.

Is it really a case of being a frog in a well with a limited view of the sky?

The glass tree that he cherished was not even presentable to the Queen, and those of even higher quality were only used for inlaying doors and windows.

Yet he was still smug about it.

Thinking of this, she obediently suppressed her previous excitement and boldness.

At this moment, he solemnly said to the maid:
"Thank you, lady."

It is no coincidence.

On the other side, Wuyou, who also had his family on his mind, was also carefully questioning the palace servants.

"The Queen is so kind, yet I had to bring up the divine punishment of the Fire-resistant Cloth, saying that the Weaver Girl's lungs and ten fingers would suffer pain... It was really wrong of me."

"I just don't know how to apologize to the Queen."

His attendants were eunuchs who had been castrated in the palace and served him daily at the Orchid Pond.

Having been intentionally assigned to guide the merchants, he naturally didn't hesitate to say what he wanted to say. For example, at this moment, he casually remarked:

"It's just fire-resistant cloth. The Queen is tolerant and always saves people face, so it's best not to say too much."

"But in our Xianyang Palace, we really look down on these things."

"Those Rong and Di tribes of the Western Regions are indeed from a desolate and frigid land. They seem to have never seen anything rare or precious before, which is why they are seriously trading these things with you..."

"How could the Queen possibly like something so useless and commonplace, which causes people pain and suffering when woven?"

Wu You suddenly felt annoyed:

"Indeed, it was the fault of a petty person."

"It turns out that I, a humble man, often traveled to the Western Regions and had no idea that my Great Qin was now so prosperous. That's why I made a fool of myself and displeased the Queen."

Ugh!
His vision is so limited!

Fortunately, the Queen was magnanimous.

If it were the King of Qin from Zhangtai Palace who were meeting them today, then...

Wu You shuddered, recalling the illustrious reputation of the Qin King among the common people, and felt a chill run through his body.

……

Nowadays, Qin Shi loves the separate-serving banquet system, but since she has regular three meals a day, she only asked the kitchen to serve her a serving of sweet tofu pudding.

Although brown sugar and soy milk are not a good match, nowadays, people don't have much of a choice.

As for most sweets, will some people not be used to them?

It's highly unlikely.

Because nowadays, sugar is an extremely precious commodity, and ordinary people may never taste the sweetness of maltose in their entire lives.

The sweetness of maltose and brown sugar is quite different.

The two knelt on the mat, looking at the bowls and cups that the servants were offering one by one on the table in front of them—

Nowadays, refractory furnaces are mainly used in iron smelting, and even glass has been relegated to a secondary position, not to mention porcelain, which is even less practical.

Therefore, apart from gold and silver utensils, most of the utensils used in the palace were made of clay.

Lady Ba and Wuyou carefully observed, and, certain that the Queen did not love bronzeware, they quietly hid their observations.

Then, I carefully picked up the bowl of tofu pudding that I had never heard of before. The rich, dark red sugar granules in the middle swayed slightly as the tofu pudding was shaken and stirred with the spoon, making it look exceptionally beautiful.

But when the two of them took a bite, their eyes lit up.

Wu You had barely swallowed the first bite when he eagerly asked:

"May I ask Your Majesty, is this perhaps the sugar to be traded with the Western Regions?"

"Exactly." Qin Shi nodded as well.

She said to Uyu, "Such rare items are produced in small quantities, hence their high price."

"In the eyes of the Wu merchants, is it possible that the Western Regions can afford the price?"

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty."

Wu You solemnly said, "Although there is little agriculture in the Western Regions, cattle and sheep are quite valuable. If you give me some brown sugar, I might be able to exchange it for a fine warhorse!"

However, due to the complicated procedures involved, they dared not promise a return date.

Furthermore, there are many gemstone veins in the Western Regions, which can also be traded for gems.

Nowadays, due to limitations in cutting techniques, gemstones do not appear as sparkling and dazzling as they once were; instead, they possess a certain rustic beauty.

During the Qin Dynasty, he had already seen enough in the Qin King's treasury, and later received further rewards from the King, so he had no shortage of anything.

Therefore, she shook her head: "If we can exchange for warhorses, warhorses are naturally better."

"We should also introduce more cattle and sheep that are easy to raise and breed."

Warhorses are an important strategic resource. During the Han Dynasty, the task of raising horses to offset taxes was forcibly assigned to ordinary people through several generations. This was the only way that sufficient resources could be accumulated during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han.

Only then did the two great heroes of the Han Dynasty display their spirited vigor.

Now, although the Qin Dynasty has not yet experienced the ravages of war that led to its disintegration, it is not as dire as the founding of the Han Dynasty, where the emperor could not even gather enough horse-drawn carriages and had to use oxcarts.

However, considering the future wars between the Baiyue and the Western Regions, the more warhorses the better.

Although Wu You was a businessman, he understood the importance of this matter.

And now we have brown sugar...

He was full of confidence, wishing he could haul ten or eight cartloads of brown sugar to the Western Regions to sweep through and realize his grand ambitions!
……

Adorned with dazzling gold hairpins, Wu You and Madam Ba strode confidently out of Xianyang Palace.

Their immediate priority is to spread the King and Queen's benevolence throughout the Qin Kingdom by promoting honeycomb briquettes and other similar products.

Once this matter is resolved, I will return to Xianyang Palace to report back.

The Queen will also provide them with a handbook of rare plants. Whenever they encounter similar plants, they must find a way to collect them and bring them back to Xianyang.

Such a high level of trust and appointment is unprecedented, so how could it not stir the hearts of the two men?
Arranging the affairs of this day did indeed consume a great deal of Qin Shi's energy.

She cleared her mind, reorganized her plans, and then simply got up and left the Orchid Pond.

"There's still some time before dark. Didn't they say that His Majesty built palaces for six kingdoms in the palace? Let's see which one is closest and go take a look."

That being said makes it seem as if stealing half a day of leisure from a busy life is truly not easy.

However, the Red Maiden looked at the sky and could only shake her head:

"The nearest Chu royal palace, Zhanghua Terrace, is an hour's drive from our Lanchi."

"Moreover, Zhanghuatai is also known as Sanxiutai. It is tall and long, and one cannot reach the top without resting three times."

"If the Queen wishes to go, she should rest and recuperate today and go to see the sights tomorrow morning."

Qin Shi: ...

Ji Heng wished she could encompass the entire city of Xianyang within the boundaries of the Xianyang Palace. Now, even sightseeing felt like a tourist trip, requiring her to travel extensively.

He sighed at that moment:

"Alright, remember to call Xin to see me after he returns from the Ironworks. I have other tasks to arrange."

With the national treasury now empty and everything in need of rebuilding, providing welfare to the people also requires financial support.

During the Qin Dynasty, they had to find ways to develop the business of glass and porcelain.

In addition, the Ironworks should not only focus on smelting powerful weapons, but also carefully consider what kind of iron is needed for shock-absorbing springs.

And then there's rubber grass...

Even if Wu's journey goes smoothly and he brings back this grass, it will probably take several months or even longer.

Looking at the smooth bluestone and rammed earth foundation of Xianyang Palace, and then thinking of the Qin Dynasty's standardized roads and straight tracks, she sighed:

"It's really perfect for cycling."

Unfortunately, there aren't enough people to create a better business environment.

To achieve better results, trade needs to be expanded to the Western Regions and even further afield.

Even rubber grass has to be sourced from other countries...

For her, as the Queen of Qin, to achieve anything significant, is a long and arduous journey!

　Hehe! Next time I'll combine two parts, I won't specify. Just remember that more points mean more words.

　　(End of this chapter)