Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 199, Section 198: The Ba Family's Entanglement
When Ji Heng arrived at Lanchi Palace at night, he could easily sense that the Queen was in a wonderful mood that day.

Although he did not speak of it, he especially admired the Queen's honesty.

For example, just now, as he changed his clothes and picked up the bamboo slips again, the Queen was already sitting close beside him, and then said happily:
"Your Majesty, two merchants have come to the palace today."

Ji Heng didn't even look up, only nodding and saying, "I already know—the Queen is so delighted, could it be that these two merchants are quite perceptive and have presented some extraordinary treasure?"

Speaking of treasures, Qin Shi took the opportunity to move closer to Ji Heng, her soft lips touching his cheek before parting.

Then he said happily, "The treasures sent by the merchants are naturally not as good as Your Majesty's sincere feelings for me, so there is nothing special about them."

"But with the cooperation of merchants, I think it will be much easier to help Your Majesty achieve your goals."

Ji Heng put down the bamboo slips.

By now, he no longer cared to judge the queen's reckless actions—she truly loved him dearly. Even if the treasures the merchant gave her were inferior to what he had gifted her, it would still secretly delight the queen.

Little did they know that all the treasures of the world were in the Qin King's treasury. If the merchants could bring out something even better, that would be considered bold.

However, it must be said that after getting used to the Queen's frankness, he often felt a sense of relief.

But these things are not to be told to outsiders; at this moment, I will only offer this earnest advice:
"The business of merchants is very profitable. Everyone in the world loves money. If it is not restrained and money is used to make money, the trend will gradually spread. Then there will be no place that people cannot go, such as the royal palace, the emperor's residence, or the forbidden places of commoners."

“If this continues, corruption will spread throughout the court and the country, and all discourse will be controlled by merchants. In that case, the power of the monarchy will also be hampered.”

"It is fine for the Empress to summon them, but she does not need to be too lenient with them; just enough to make them show their sincerity."

Qin Shi was momentarily stunned.

"I also believe that the king dislikes merchants because he despises their lowly status."

After all, merchants were subject to heavy taxes totaling 70-80%, forced to perform labor in various places, and prohibited from using silk, cloth, gold, silver, and jade...

If this were to happen in later generations, people would probably sigh and say, "They were just making fun of me!"

However, since this has always been the case, merchants have their own ways of avoiding taxes, which is generally acceptable.

Ji Heng frowned: "Those who engage in commerce, not farming, and who profit through cunning, certainly cannot be of noble status."

“If every common person follows their example and profits from it, who will cultivate the land? Will we still be able to conscript soldiers? The country will be ruined.”

"The Qin Dynasty has a vast territory and abundant resources. During this period, various affairs could not be separated from them. Among the four classes of people in the country, scholars, farmers, artisans and merchants, they were not entirely useless."

Such a calm and reasonable statement.

Just look at who is pulling the strings behind the scenes in the great United States, where wealth is the ultimate power, and you'll know that the power of money has always been a cause for concern.

Qin Shi then carefully noted: "Today I will reward the two of them with a gold hairpin. As long as they fulfill my requirements, they can also sell any new things that come out of the palace."

"But a promotion is not something that can be easily granted."

Ji Heng already knew this, and nodded at this moment: "The Queen is quite talented."

Gold hairpins were nothing unusual for merchants.

But with the Queen's bestowal, they could openly wear the hairpins, and whether in their family or making a living elsewhere, they would be looked up to.

The pride and convenience that come from this are beyond words.
By bestowing small favors in this way, they precisely exploited the other party's eagerness to climb the social ladder, and by offering them various novel experiences in the palace, they were not treated unfairly.

Reason and emotion, a reputation built on integrity, and numerous other matters progressing...

The Queen has taken care of everything.

He finally managed to laugh.

His once stern face now held a warmth and tolerance; his long eyes were slightly lowered, just enough to catch a glimpse of the Queen's slightly flushed cheeks and her seemingly embarrassed refusal.

"I didn't think that much when I made this decision..."

“It’s alright.” Ji Heng raised an eyebrow: “I didn’t think that much about the various national policies I implemented after pacifying the six kingdoms.”

"It's just destiny."

He spoke so casually, yet Qin Shi was deeply moved.

This emperor, a figure of unparalleled power, now sits peacefully beside me, showing me unique gentleness, tolerance, and patient guidance.

She perked up, her eyes sparkling like stars:

"In that case, Your Majesty, please wait a moment while I tidy up other important matters!"

After she finished speaking, she went to the other side of the desk to spread out paper and dip it in ink, clearly having been ignited with a burning fighting spirit.

Ji Heng then turned his gaze away, unfolded the bamboo slips he hadn't finished reading, dipped his vermilion brush in ink, and wrote his comments without hesitation.

Zhou Ju and Chi Nu, who were serving outside the curtain, exchanged a glance and thought to themselves: No wonder the king is willing to come to Lan Chi every day without fail!

Besides valuing the Queen, he clearly values ​​having someone to work with him even more!

All these years, the ladies of the harem have ultimately been misled!

……

After comparing and understanding the situation with the craftsmen in Xianyang Palace, Madam Ba and Wuyou immediately rallied their clansmen scattered throughout the world to do their utmost to accomplish this task.

In order to seize more territory as soon as possible, the two heads of the family, who could have originally gone to Lanchi together to pay their respects, now wished they could seize more territory behind each other's backs!

Therefore, they were willing to invest a large amount of gold and silver in the early stages.

Compared to Wuyou, who started his business single-handedly, Mrs. Ba faced many more problems.

For example, using half of the wealth accumulated by the Ba family over generations to do this useless thing for the queen, which is only to bestow favors on ordinary people, slaves and laborers, is really of no use.

Therefore, an elder of the clan questioned: "Even if you want to bestow favors and spread the name of my Ba clan throughout the world, you should do so to the descendants of noble people."

"You've got it backwards; what use are you to these lowly people?"

But how could Madam Ba, a woman, become the current head of the Ba family? She wouldn't listen to this old man's ramblings.

Therefore, he did not hesitate to pull out the gold hairpin from his hair:

"My understanding is limited; I do not know the difference between bestowing favors upon the descendants of nobles and bestowing favors upon commoners."

"All I know is that this matter was ordered by the Queen, and the gold hairpin was bestowed by the Queen. If I, Ba Shi, want to be given an important position, let alone half of my family fortune, even eighty percent! Ten percent! I am willing to take this gamble."

Their large clan has no shortage of people who know how to do business.

There is no shortage of people who are good at interpersonal communication.

There is no shortage of those with profound knowledge.

But the only thing lacking is opportunity, and that's all! As for money, once the clansmen have the opportunity, are they afraid they won't be able to accumulate it in the future?
The elder sneered, "Our Ba clan controls the mines and has amassed its wealth entirely through top-grade cinnabar. Our name is known among the common people, but do you think they can afford it?"

"And yet you women dare to boast that you're willing to do anything, but after all your wealth is gone, do you expect the Queen to give you a single meal?"

Madam Ba sneered, "Having been confined to the clan for so long, never venturing beyond the mountains and rivers, the clan elders must have been sitting in a well and looking at the sky for far too long, haven't they?"

“I remember three years ago, the clan elder acquired a fine glass horse and was overjoyed. He invited the whole clan to admire it. During this trip to Xianyang, I also presented the clan’s precious glass tree.” The clan elder remained silent.

The entire clan knew about the presentation of the crystal tree. After all, it was an audience with the Queen; to not bestow such a precious gift would be an offense.
He merely frowned: "What, does that Wu merchant have a better gift, one that surpasses yours?"

Therefore, it's understandable why Madam Ba acted so erratically after returning to her clan.

After all, they were already a step behind in presenting their gifts. If they didn't work harder, they might have no room to speak to the Queen.

Thinking of this, some people took the initiative to advise the clan elders:
"Enough! My clan has been diligent for generations, but only now have we had the opportunity to meet such a noble person as the Queen. If we don't seize this opportunity, what other chance will we have?"

Lady Ba slowly and deliberately put the gold hairpin back in her hair: "When the Queen saw that crystal tree, she only glanced at it briefly and said 'Beautiful' and that was it."

"As for the fire-resistant clothing that the Wu merchants went to great lengths to obtain from the king of the Western Regions, the queen praised it highly."

This!
Everyone was speechless for a moment, and then filled with disbelief:

"That crystal tree is so dazzling and beautiful. With the abilities of my Ba family, it can even rival the treasury of a small country! Queen... could it be that you do not love crystal?"

"You don't even love fire-resistant clothing? This is a treasure from the Western Regions that my clan has sought before, but we have never seen it!"

"Alas! It's a pity that we have no one in the court and we really can't find out any information in the palace. We really don't know what kind of noble family the Queen comes from, and how she can have such a noble and discerning eye?"

The crowd was abuzz with discussion, and thinking about how Madam Ba's gift had not been well received, they also felt a pang of sadness for their clansmen.

But Madam Ba shook her head:
"Later, I spent some money to inquire carefully with the palace maids, but they dismissively said: 'This kind of glass is just an ordinary item that the Queen uses to decorate windows. The workshops can produce countless flawless pieces...'"

"As for the fire-resistant garments, when Wu Shang inquired about them, the eunuch said that such things were really crude, and there were countless of them in the palace. They were even deemed useless for stuffing stoves..."

How could this be?

The clan elder who had been shouting the loudest was speechless, utterly unable to believe that his supreme glass horse had now been reduced to being used as a window embellishment...

"Could it be that the Queen is deliberately being reserved and doesn't want you to see his expression?"

Madam Ba shook her head: "Elder, I often negotiate business deals on behalf of the clan. Do you think I can't tell whether the other party has this intention or not?"

It was precisely because of his confidence in his abilities that he felt all the more gloomy.

Now back in the tribe, I'm ready to put my skills to use and fight for that formidable agent the Queen spoke of, along with salt, sugar, tea, and honeycomb briquettes...

And then we run into this bunch of troublemakers!

Thinking of this, she felt displeased, and so she said again:
"The clan elder just asked me what use it would be to show goodwill to ordinary people, because they probably can't afford high-quality cinnabar."

"But today I must warn everyone that the name of my family, Ba, must not be circulated when we perform this act of kindness for the Queen. If asked, it will be said that the King and Queen have bestowed favors upon the people."

She looked at everyone and solemnly said, "In Dongjun, Wu Shang and I encountered Wang Xueyuan, the former Imperial Censor. He was implicated and demoted to Supervising Censor because a woman in his clan offended the Queen."

"The other party revealed to us that everyone in the Xianyang Palace now knows that cinnabar is extremely poisonous, and no one in the palace is willing to use cinnabar to dye their personal clothing anymore."

"The news quickly spread among the descendants of princes and nobles, and everyone became cautious."

"Have you all noticed? Since August, our clan's cinnabar orders have decreased by 70% compared to previous years."

"If these remarks were to spread throughout the Qin state, even this last 30% might not be able to be saved."

“In this situation, if we don’t become familiar with the common people, even the inferior cinnabar will be unwanted.”

The finest cinnabar is taken by nobles and used in various ways, especially in alchemy, where it is consumed in large quantities.

Inferior cinnabar is often used by the common people to dye furniture and pottery, and it is also commonly used to ward off evil spirits and protect the home.

Then the medium-grade ones were purchased by the medical clinic.

Although such inferior cinnabar does not earn as much money as superior cinnabar, the large number of people using it means it is still a source of income.

But what about the future...?

Madam Ba looked coldly at her incredulous clansmen and sighed.

She then pointed to the honeycomb briquettes, which she used to teach the entire tribe how to use them:

"Furthermore, the Queen is not simply satisfied with a large amount of gold and silver from us."

"On the contrary, the Queen promised that wherever my Ba clan could promote this product in Qin, we would be granted honeycomb briquettes at a low price according to the region in the future."

"How much money you make depends on how many ordinary people benefit from it."

She casually provided the data: "Nowadays, one half-ounce qin liang can buy one jin of millet. And there are three pieces of coal, just enough to burn for four hours."

Winter is approaching; one can survive for two or three days without eating.

But if you catch a cold, it can be fatal.

The Queen's promotional plan is to get everyone to accept and get used to this product as quickly as possible.

Are you worried about them not having business next year?

These words were carefully analyzed and explained in front of everyone, and the cousin quickly had no more objections.

They can only sigh now:
“Our people are still too few. Even if one person is in charge of one area, it is obviously not enough. Are the territories we failed to occupy going to be taken by the Wu merchants?”

Mrs. Barth frowned as well, but it was alright—

"We will first stay in the Sichuan and Chongqing region and have one or two people take charge of this matter."

"The rest of the people, remove those that are close to the Western Regions, first promote them to the coldest places, and then gather them one by one towards the center of Sichuan and Chongqing."

"In that case, do your utmost, and don't be stingy with the precious horses in the clan."

"Before the New Year on the first day of the tenth month, a report of outstanding achievements must be presented to the Queen."

Upon receiving the order, everyone quickly discussed the plots of land they would be responsible for and the goods they needed to bring.

Not only honeycomb briquettes, but also wheelbarrows and curved plows must be taught to people so that they know how to use them and are willing to use them.

In such a race against time, with much of the journey still to be wasted on the road, a young man from the tribe raised his hand:
"I have a plan."

"At each post station, I would give everyone a day to gather together, with one person from each household coming out to listen to my explanation of the curved plow, the wheelbarrow, the honeycomb briquettes, and other such items."

"If I could listen to the whole thing, would you mind giving me a bowl of millet?"

Such actions will inevitably lead to another loss of the clan's scattered wealth and provisions.

But for ordinary people, this bowl of millet is already extremely important.

Upon hearing this, they would travel at breakneck speed, even if it meant walking 20 or 30 miles, to come and learn diligently, let alone just 10 miles from the post station.

Madam Ba looked at the young man who had spoken; his features were now kind and approachable.
"Great idea!"

"With such a young man in my clan, how can I worry about the business not prospering!"

"Let's do it this way! Millet, cloth, and other items of equal value are all acceptable as gifts."

　Come on, come on! We're giving away eggs for attending the lecture!
　　(End of this chapter)