Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 204, Section 203: The Signal from the Bronze Mirror
Danpu integrated into Lanchi Palace very quickly.

He was a clever man to begin with, and now he has gone to great lengths to get close to the Queen. Even though he is still working under the Chief Secretary, isn't that how opportunities are accumulated little by little?

There was only one thing that made him slightly regretful.

That is, the Queen treated her subordinates with exceptional respect. Her maids, eunuchs, and other servants all had their own schedules and assignments, with a clear distinction between on-duty and overtime work.

Lady Akame does not approve of his extra performance.

If we only talk about doing things this way, how are others supposed to work?
Those who are honest and conscientious are inevitably afraid that they will not get opportunities if they do not perform well.

Those who painstakingly scheme and plot will then strive to find the right opportunity to shine.

If this continues, it will affect the morale of the servants, causing them to focus less on their duties and more on how to please their superiors.

They only care about making things look good, and if they do something wrong, they don't try to make amends, but rather to cover it up...

At this point, the Red Woman spoke with a meaningful tone:
"Although it is of utmost importance for us servants to gain the favor of our superiors, you already have a promising future, so it won't hurt to postpone it for now."

When she said that, Danpu understood.

So, in private, besides following the instructions of the Crimson Maiden, he also observed from various sources and discovered that there was now a [Zhongshuzi] in the Orchid Pool Palace.

Lord Xin.

This Lord Xin acted in haste, carrying a letter from the Queen, which connected not only the Ironworks but also the crucial Imperial Stud!

He didn't often come to the Queen to show off, but he seemed to have a heavy responsibility. Every now and then, if he needed to report, the Queen would always make time to patiently inquire.

As for what the matter was, Danpu didn't dare to inquire casually.

He knew that the other woman must have something that the Queen appreciated, so he often went to serve her in private, doing errands and running errands.

Xin is now in charge of military equipment—stirrups and horseshoes.

Such a sensitive matter naturally attracted attention when people gathered around it.

Qin Shi did not object to this.

A soldier who doesn't want to be a general isn't a good soldier; people with ambition will consider more things when they do things.

It's a good thing to strive to do better.

Moreover, he did it voluntarily after completing his own job duties. In this era where knowledge is a precious resource, Danpu's behavior is no different from secretly going home to take exams.

It is even full of subjective initiative.

Moreover, if it were that simple to get the information about horseshoes from Xin... then she wouldn't need to rely on him.

If I were not discreet, I would lose my life; having committed this crime, I have no way to survive.

Right now, Qin Shi is having another headache—

"What brings the prince here?"

Not only did they come, but they also didn't say a word.

Sitting below the steps was Prince Qian.

Given his personality, his ability to remain patient and silent for so long was already enough to surprise Qin Shi.

Prince Qian's visit this time was neither for gambling nor for pleasantries; after much deliberation, he still said dejectedly:

"I heard that the Queen appointed Yan Xiaolang as the Grand Minister of Agriculture, and he has now gone to Bohai County to take up his post."

Qin Shi did not hide it from him.

There's nothing to hide.

The princes and princesses of today will either become future monarchs or be useful members of their monarch's staff.

With their power and influence, if they genuinely wanted to do good, they would have far more advantages than other officials who worked diligently and worked hard to get their positions.

So she smiled and said, "Although Yan Cong is young, he is calm and upright, very principled, and meticulous in carrying out orders."

“This task is better suited to be handled by someone as talented as him.”

Moreover, the Yan family also needs this opportunity.

The eldest son, Yan Lang, is a general, and Yan Ying and Yan Xuan are also county commanders, but they both command large armies and are far from Xianyang.

This demonstrates the king's trust and confidence, but it also presents a crisis.

The reason General Yan stayed in Xianyang was to show the Yan family their loyalty to the emperor.

Now that the other party has passed away, the entire Yan family is in Pinyang observing mourning for their parents.

This is a major taboo.

Moreover, although Yan Cong is the son of General Yan, he is still a minor and therefore does not hold any official position.

If he stayed at home, he would not be allowed to enter officialdom unless he observed the mourning period for three years. Now, he was forcibly summoned by the Queen. This job was a challenge for him, but also a great opportunity.

Therefore, the Yan family could only feel happy and at ease.

Yan Cong himself was also extremely cautious.

Qin Shi explained the significance of this to Prince Qian in detail.

She believed that she had done a better job than Ji Heng.

At the very least, Ji Heng would not have the patience to explain this matter.

In his eyes, this was something he was born with the ability to understand.

However, there is a saying in this world: "Playing the lute to a cow."

Because Wang Ziqian listened silently, and after a moment of bewilderment, he said with a hint of resentment:

"He is not yet an adult, and neither am I. If the Queen is in trouble, am I not more reliable than him?"

Then, puffing out his cheeks, he said, "This prince is going to call you Mother!"

Qin Shi: ...

Let alone the vast Qin state, even if the family only had ten Qin Banliang coins left, I think any father would not have given it to him if he had a choice!

She truly understood Ji Heng!

Prince Qian was heartbroken.

The tall and heroic young man, whose long eyes resembled Ji Heng's, lacked the majesty of his father. Instead, his eyes instantly reddened, and tears welled up.

It is clear that for teenagers, not being seen as an adult that their elders can rely on is a very hurtful thing to their self-esteem.

Qin Shi slowly exhaled.

Anyway, thank goodness, I don't have to tutor Wang Ziqian in his studies.

She slowly took a sip of tea to calm herself down.

"But I heard from the King that you, Chenghu, and Princess Wen were discussing politics at Zhangtai Palace, but you didn't seem very energetic on weekdays?"

How can they be the same?!
Prince Qian, of course, had something to say about this.

The so-called "discussion on politics" refers to the king and his ministers discussing how to deal with certain matters in the memorials to the throne, and the ministers also offering their opinions.

But because his mind was completely blank, Ji Heng felt ashamed. In addition, he would get angry from time to time because of his answers, so over time, he stopped asking him questions.

Chenghu was frequently ill, and if he was not satisfied with the answer to a slightly complicated question in court, he would stay up all night to think about it carefully.

Such a detrimental act to the very essence of the body meant that even if Ji Heng had no love for his children, he could only sigh and give up.

Princess Wen, however, after some nurturing, occasionally uttered thoughtful words.

But this ability is far from enough for a ruler who wants to maintain the status quo.

Qin Shi could sense Ji Heng's vague worries.

She was helpless in the face of Wang Ziqian's answer. Although Yan Cong didn't like reading, he simply didn't like it; he still read what he was supposed to read.

Prince Qian is indeed sincere; he didn't remember anything he was supposed to read.

But some people are just like that; they're just not naturally inclined to study academic subjects.

She sighed: "With your temperament, even if you patiently endure for several years in Zhangtai Palace, you probably won't achieve anything good. Instead, you'll just be wasting your energy."

Young people are full of vigor and never back down when faced with challenges. They are resilient and energetic, so it would be a waste not to make good use of them.

That being the case——

Qin Shi instructed the Red Maiden to bring a box containing several stacks of paper made from bark.

She took them out and slowly sorted through them, picking out a drawing that Hei Mu had delivered just a few days ago.

Then he asked, "I have a secret task for you. If you succeed, you shall present it to the King on New Year's Day."

"But this task is tedious and meticulous, with many considerations, and it doesn't seem very impressive. In terms of how boring it is, it's probably only slightly better than your role in governing at Zhangtai Palace."

"Are you going to do it or not?"

Prince Qian didn't care about any of that!

Yan Xiaolang was able to lead a private army of the Queen to Bohai County, and he even held an official position!

With his princely status, even if he doesn't expect an official position, he still has important matters to attend to. Doesn't that mean he sees himself as a capable man who can accomplish things?
In this way, she would no longer have to be forced to memorize texts by her elder sister, nor would she have to live in fear and trepidation in the Zhangtai Palace, lest her father ask her about it...

The underachiever is overjoyed!

His eyebrows and eyes lit up, and he exuded an exceptionally innocent and naive aura.

But he does bear a resemblance to the king...

Qin Shi could hardly bear to look at him. He thought to himself that it was fortunate that this was not the Shang or Zhou dynasty, otherwise, given the custom of killing the eldest son at that time, and with Prince Qian's personality being so unlike the king, his life would probably be in danger!

For now, just pass him the paper with bark on it:
"This thing looks simple, but it actually requires careful calculation and involves many steps."

"The theoretical materials and drawings are all drawn in detail here. If you can't handle it, you won't need to come to me for any arrangements in the future."

Prince Qian said confidently, "Your Majesty, rest assured!"

Looking down again, I saw that on the mottled parchment paper, there were some words written in fine seal script: "Simple Signal Mirror"...

Looking at the text again, it explains that the copper mirror was polished to a particularly bright shine, and then, through the refraction of light, signals were sent into the distance.

There was also a booklet of signal phrases, which indeed looked quite simple.

But this is perfectly suited for military use! Just what Prince Qian wanted!
He was overjoyed and took his leave, already impatient to get off.

After getting rid of Prince Qian, Qin Shi breathed a sigh of relief.

Chi Nu tenderly rubbed her forehead, while Dan Pu, standing in the corner, gave the box a particularly serious look.

Such a precious treasure, yet the Queen entrusted it to Lady Red Maiden with such trust. I wonder if, in the future, through diligent study and advancement, she too will earn this same level of trust?

In addition, will the Chief Secretary ever leave the palace to get married in the future?
If he has this intention, he can work even harder and learn in advance!
However, Prince Qian's arrival also served as a reminder to Qin Shi that he now had different children under his command.

Therefore, he ordered, "Please bring a tiger again."

With that weak little 7-year-old body, it's best not to teach him any academic knowledge.

Children of this age are physically weak and cannot run or jump. It's better for them to walk around in the room than to memorize texts.

She picked and chose, but there was nothing she could tell Chenghu to do, so she simply picked up a charcoal pencil and wrote something down:
[Promotion Chart]

This is an ancient Monopoly game where players choose whether they are commoners or officials by spinning dice and tops. It is full of fun and a little bit of thought.

She is simply modifying the corresponding official titles according to the current official ranks in the Qin state.

Whether Chenghu likes to play or not is not important; what's important is to let him relax his mind first—if he plays with his attendants, the other person has already become the prime minister, while he is still a commoner...

With his proud nature, he'll probably get angry soon, won't he?

Once you can clear your mind and fill it with things other than books, you can gradually get into more physical activity.

Having clearly understood the rules, the Red Maiden couldn't help but laugh:

"If the Queen were to bestow this promotion scroll upon Prince Qian, he would be overjoyed and probably wouldn't be seen for a month or two."

“So,” Qin Shi slowly stopped writing, “it is precisely because he likes it that we cannot give it to him.”

Because he can really become addicted.

only……

Chi Nu hesitated for a moment: "The palace is well aware of Prince Chenghu's intelligence and talent. If the Queen gives him such a game to study carefully, I wonder if Lady Chu will think that the Queen is doing this on purpose?"

He led the tiger to focus solely on play, neglecting his studies, which angered the king...

Spoiling a child is like killing him!

Qin Shi raised an eyebrow:
“I am the Queen, I do not need to report to her on my actions.”

not to mention……

“She has been raising Chenghu for so many years, but his health has not improved, which shows that her methods are completely useless.”

No matter what, Ji Heng is still a father.

Prince Qian was tolerant of them, which shows that although he was not good at educating them, he did not neglect them.

"I'm afraid Your Majesty would rather have a long-lived but ordinary son than a weak son who doesn't even dare to ask a question."

Of course, given the extreme nature of Cheng Hu and Wang Ziqian, Qin Shi realized he could only be considered lucky.

The Red Maiden laughed again: "The Queen's words clearly show that she has adapted to her current status."

There are always more considerations at the beginning.

Qin Shi sighed: She couldn't afford to be unaccustomed to it. If she didn't establish her authority soon, she would be overwhelmed by all the affairs of the palace.

Ice and charcoal supplies, cloth rewards, salary arrangements, the princess's illness, the prince's discomfort...

Even in the palace, female officials and guards had all sorts of miscellaneous tasks, which were all selected and reported by their servants.

She thought about it carefully and realized that she had been in Qin for more than a month, and now, not to mention the architecture of the six states in Xianyang Palace, she had not even been able to enjoy a single performance of the Hundred Entertainments.

Although she loves her work, she can't work all year round without taking a break!

Now let's arrange for all the princes and princesses to be married off, and then their mothers won't be able to escape either.

As the head of the six palaces, she also had to earn money and conquer the world.

Palace affairs can be handled at any time, but not during the development phase.

Thinking of this, she chose another sheet of paper and arranged the princesses and princes in the palace according to their ages—

Princess Wen is tactful but lacks magnanimity. Since the mediation of various disputes does not involve her own interests, she can be allowed to handle them.

For example...let her take over all the matters related to the relocation of Madam Zheng and Madam Chu to the palace.

Princess Xinming was born with weak lungs and a poor constitution, so she can't do much for now and should focus on recovering. However, her mother, Qi Ba Zi, is a low-key and unassuming person. Perhaps she could try managing the palace's salary distribution?
There were no others. Princess Chan and Princess Peng were two and four years old, respectively, both still at an age where they couldn't be separated from their mothers.

She had a good impression of Qin Bazi. Although she had the appearance of an orchid, her mind was full of complex thoughts. This kind of detailed and complicated comprehensive official business was perfect for her to take charge of.

In addition, the seven sons of Yan, the two daughters and one son of the chief secretary and junior servant of the harem died young...

Damn!

Qin Shi rubbed his forehead in annoyance: How come we can't even gather enough manpower now?
　The Shang and Zhou dynasties were known for killing the eldest son. Firstly, people at that time lacked proper etiquette, and killing was commonplace. Secondly, unmarried men and women who were attracted to each other slept together, so the purity of the eldest son's bloodline could not be guaranteed. Therefore…

　　The emergence of the Zhou Rites, which has been cherished for thousands of years (although it seems unreasonable from today's perspective), was crucial in feudal society as it was the most important system of etiquette and morality, and it constructed a complete social order.

　　The "Promotion Chart" is quite interesting, but I won't go into detail here.

　　(End of this chapter)