Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 207, Section 206: Personnel Arrangements
Qin Shi flipped through the resumes, one by one from right to left and top to bottom.

You don't even need to look closely; just by observing the neatness of the seal script, you can tell who is truly educated and has some skill.

Regardless of their original nationality, once they arrived in Qin, they naturally had to practice the Qin script.

The quality of one's handwriting best reflects whether one has a good learning habit.

Among them, the most outstanding writing belongs to Qin Ba Zi.

Next was Lady Chu.

Even the two newly joined members of the Seven Masters, Dan and Feiqing, can be praised for their neat and precise strokes.

Only this one...

Even without ink, everyone was given a pencil with excellent color rendering, and the form in front of us was still scribbled all over and written terribly.

As expected, it came from Prince Qian's mother, Madam Zheng.

and so……

Qin Shi pondered, "So the old saying that sons resemble their mothers and daughters resemble their fathers... has some truth to it."

Upon closer examination of the contents: the daughter of a nobleman of the State of Zheng, aged 30, but the place of origin was written too long, too numerous and too messy, so it was simply omitted during the Qin Dynasty.

After all, regardless of their place of origin, there is no Zheng state anymore.

Then there are the things I'm good at—

Qin Shi originally intended to write "special skills" here, but because these two words greatly impressed her, she changed her mind after writing them.

Alas, I wonder how well those jade-loving people are doing in their math studies, still living in fear and uncertainty by the Orchid Pond.

Madam Zheng's "special skills" include: she is good at fighting, knows a little about weapons, is physically strong, and has good luck!
The following are numerous examples:
[When I was young, I could eat, drink, and fight. Those older than me, I'd grab their hair first before beating them. Those younger than me, I'd mount them first before beating them.]

Qin Shi thought about the scene and couldn't help but laugh: It seems he really knows how to fight.

She was skilled in swordsmanship and spear fighting. She originally wanted to be a general, but the clan disliked her for being mentally challenged and unable to remember things, so she was made a concubine instead. However, her elder sister fell ill before she even set off, so she was replaced by a concubine... She didn't bring any of her younger sisters or nieces with her.

It really was a twist of fate.

Nowadays, when nobles marry off their daughters, they will take their sisters or nieces from the clan with them as part of the dowry. These are called "di" and "di zhi," which is the system of concubines.

However, according to what she knew, the reason for changing to Lady Zheng was because the State of Zheng was planning to launch a military campaign at this time, so they randomly chose someone with a sturdy build.

However, Madam Zheng was clearly unaware of this and therefore still felt that she was lucky.

[Since I was born, I've only had one minor cold and occasional headaches from reading, but no other illnesses! My health is excellent!]

Qin Shi was immediately shocked: "Is Madam Zheng in such good health?"

What a healthy body! I would be really jealous if she weren't even healthier now.

The woman took it and glanced at it, then laughed and said, "Madam Zheng is lying. She clearly has medical records. I overheard someone come to Zhangtai Gong to report that she was feeling unwell..."

However, good health is not a particularly outstanding advantage on a resume.

Judging from Wang Ziqian's intelligence, Qin Shi did not believe she was lying, so he summoned Yi Ming again.

But Yi Ming remembered it after only a moment's thought:
"It is true. Madam Zheng has seven medical records. Among them, there were 3 cases of dietary imbalance, 3 cases of overeating, and one case of spraining her ankle while practicing martial arts."

Qin Shi: ...

She couldn't help but touch her forehead: Could it be that clearing your mind really makes your body healthier?
Wasn't the promotion chart she gave Chenghu also inappropriate?
As for being "quite lucky..."

When I was young, I lived in a secluded courtyard. When I was starving and on the verge of death, I was able to dig up a nest of field mice and their family's property, which totaled more than twenty catties of millet...

When the concubine came of age, she was disliked for being too tall and difficult to marry, so she was assigned to be the eldest sister's concubine, where she was given good food and drink.

Among the seven states, the women of Chu were the most popular, for they were graceful, talented in singing and dancing.

In the Qin state, due to the nationwide system of farming and warfare, women who were strong and healthy were naturally more popular.

It's understandable that Madam Zheng was disliked.

[The dowry concubines were originally supposed to control their diet and strive to be slender, but my elder sister fell ill, and I was temporarily put in her place...]

[She had only been at Xianyang Palace for three months when it was discovered she was pregnant.]

Two years later, during a war between six kingdoms, she met the king only once, and then gave birth to Prince Qian...

This is a jumbled mess of details, including countless trivialities, even recounting such matters in great detail.

Looking at the thick stack of papers belonging to Madam Zheng, Qin Shi finally understood why she was able to write so profusely, with her pen moving so fast and her handwriting so messy.

But it's good.

In the past, Qin Shi believed in materialistic science; now, she has begun to value metaphysics.

Putting everything else aside, she had already performed the divination herself and had some thoughts on the concept of destiny.

As for Madam Zheng's good fortune, she pondered it carefully:
"It's really quite good?"

From her own perspective, being well-fed, having a higher social status, and being safe and secure would already be enough for her.

Not to mention from the perspective of the Qin state, the king was not young at that time, and there were servants in the palace, but no heirs were yet to be seen. Obviously, this was not a good thing for Ji Heng, who had finally seized power.

That being the case...

"Let Madam Zheng temporarily take charge of the [Sacrifice Order], and tell Xin that if there are any problems with the research and development of the Ironworks or the Imperial Household Department, he should go to Madam Zheng and promote its benefits and uses, and ask her to make a sincere request."

The craftsmanship must be learned and tested, and the metaphysics must also be kept up with.

There is 99% perspiration in this world, but that 1% inspiration is crucial.

In the world of Qin, inspiration is uncontrollable, but luck is something you can always try!

She smiled and instructed the maid, "Go and speak kindly to Madam Zheng. If she sincerely prays for success, I will naturally reward her."

As for how to be certain that the credit belongs to Madam Zheng, that is not important.

The woman was dumbfounded, clearly never expecting the Queen to use the palace ladies in this way.

But it must be said that looking at Lady Zheng's resume and then considering the job arranged by the Queen, it actually feels like she's making the best use of her talents.

Moreover, Madam Zheng is straightforward; as long as the reward is sufficient and the words are kind enough, she should be willing.

Since that was the case, he happily accepted the order and went to carry it out.

More than an hour later, when she returned to report, she said with a complicated expression:
"Lady Zheng said that she sincerely prayed for the Queen to have all her wishes fulfilled and for everything she did to go smoothly. But she wondered if, after a year of prayers, the Queen might bestow upon her a box of her secret, finest face powder?"

"Also, I hope the Queen will not bestow this makeup powder upon Lady Chu."

Qin Shi: ...

She hardly ever uses foundation.

However, the main issue right now isn't the foundation!

But... "Did she only want this?"

The woman with the red dress also had a complicated expression: "I only want this one."

But even though this thing was extremely rare, it wasn't very important to the queen.

The Queen's skin was flawless, radiant even without makeup, thanks to her abundant blood and energy.

Besides, she doesn't like using it anyway.

Since that was the case, Qin Shi nodded, suppressing a laugh:
"Then send word that I agree. As long as she prays wholeheartedly, not even a year later, but only six months later, I will bestow upon her the only box of makeup powder in the world." Key point: No one else has it.

In short, the top CEO of Qin has temporarily taken on the role of HR and has settled things with Madam Zheng, but there is still Madam Chu who urgently needs to be taken care of.

Compared to Madam Zheng's naive and clueless thoughts, Madam Chu's resume was much more neatly written.

It's also much simpler.

Qin Shi glanced at it and saw that the other party had simply written "skilled in singing and dancing" as their specialty, and smiled knowingly.

Lady Chu was not only skilled in singing and dancing.

She has been in the palace for many years, averaging one new dance per month. She is in charge of choreography and music arrangement. Such extraordinary artistic talent would be considered top-notch even in later generations.

Moreover, Chenghu clearly inherited her talents not only in singing and dancing, but also in poetry and calligraphy.

Not only is he quite shrewd and intelligent, but he is also well-informed.

However, although she is currently in Xianyang Palace, she is a citizen of Chu. Among the six states, only Chu resisted the longest and hated Qin the most.

Caught in the middle, this frail woman alone had to bear the weight of this helpless world crisis, and could only sigh in despair.

Then there was Prince Chenghu, who was clearly very talented, but was limited by his weak health and illness, and had no hope of inheriting the throne.

Having endured so many years of hardship, Madam Chu's mind has clearly lost its former openness.

Qin Shi stared at the three words "skilled in singing and dancing," and then smiled:

"Since the lady loves singing and dancing, I ordered her to set up a separate department, selecting talents from the young master's household to stage plays specifically for our Qin state."

"This play is not intended for Your Majesty to stay in the palace and watch it carefully, but rather to be performed from Xianyang to the mountains, rivers, seas, villages, and post stations of my Qin Kingdom."

"Let's make this first play a story about a divine oracle inscribed on a meteorite in Dongjun. I'll select and revise all the details later and send them over together."

The protagonist of this story could be Ji Heng, or it could be a Kunlun immortal, a mountain spirit, or a monster...

Regardless, the core idea was that they respected Ji Heng, the human emperor, and were willing to risk divine punishment by sending down a meteorite with words of warning.

It begins with emotion, unfolds through plot, and then proclaims the King of Qin's concern for the people of the world.

With the honeycomb briquettes now scattered everywhere, once the King performs the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai next year and the various performances gradually spread throughout the world, the King will no longer need to worry about the people's reputation.

Those in positions of power, once they have a good reputation, will cherish it more in the future.

When it comes to dealing with fish and meat again, perhaps things will be easier to handle.

Let's look at the next one.

The resumes of the two newly selected members of the Seven Sons are almost identical.

Although they were not from the same hometown, they entered the palace at the same time, served the Queen of Chu together, and were later sent to Ji Heng's side together.

Therefore, their paths often overlapped, and now, she is the oldest in the palace, already 33 years old.

Throughout their lives, they struggled to make ends meet until the age of 10, and then carefully served their lord until the age of 16.

Then she was assigned to Ji Heng's side and never had a moment of freedom.

Although freedom is a luxury these days, it is clear that if this waste continues, the two women will wither away like weeds in the corner as winter approaches.

Qin Shi observed the two people's special skills.

Unsurprisingly, it's all about [weaving].

Nowadays, there are simple looms, which are often used by women in the palace to pass the time.

They had nothing of value, no family background, and were not favored by the king; their monthly salaries were pitifully low.

Given the monotony of life, it's only natural to become exceptionally skilled in this craft.

Unfortunately……

Qin Shi sighed slightly.

Without cotton, we now need to raise silkworms and grow hemp to weave cloth.

They also lack sufficient population and resources. Even with improved looms, given Qin's current productivity, they still lack the means of production and market size.

Population, population!
This is something she has sighed about countless times.

No wonder that in the early Han Dynasty, laws were issued to force every household to raise horses and grow mulberry trees, with a stipulated amount required to offset taxes.

Most of those who died in the war perished; how few are left to reel silk and raise silkworms today!
Let alone trade with other countries, even within the Qin state itself, there was barely enough to supply them.

Qin Shi thought for a moment:
"Go and invite the two newly promoted Seven Sons here."

Dan and Feiqing are already quite old now.

Because they rarely saw sunlight and lived in remote and desolate palaces, their complexions were pale and their blood and energy were not very abundant, indicating that they had not done a good job in terms of nutritional balance.

But with her tall stature and gentle features, she exudes a warm and approachable aura at first glance.

Because they were well-behaved, cautious, and careful, Ji Heng never changed his attitude towards them after the death of the Queen of Chu, which gave them some place to stay in the palace.

Now, the two men received a summons from the Queen, and they felt a sense of relief, as if their boots had finally been put to rest.

Therefore, after carefully paying his respects, he listened quietly to the Queen's instructions.

To everyone's surprise, the young queen didn't ask anything else, but simply smiled and said, "I heard that the side palace where you two are now living is deserted and far away from the king's residence, is that right?"

Dan, who had been waiting for two months, immediately and cautiously returned:

"Your Majesty, we two concubines are used to peace and quiet, and we are also old and faded, so it is not appropriate for us to be too close to Your Majesty's residence, lest we disturb Your Majesty's mood..."

The implication was clear: she was quite resistant to Ji Heng.

Looking at Fei Qing again, there was still a hint of fear on her pale face.

It is evident that King Heng of Qin's infamous reputation truly permeated both inside and outside the court.

On this point, Qin Shi would not feel aggrieved for Ji Heng: the king may seem to be very indulgent towards her, but all of this is based on the premise that she is still useful.

The lower one's social status, the more one feels the fear of having one's life and death controlled by others.

She didn't investigate whether those words were sincere or not.

However, facing these two women who have lived lives of constant anxiety and uncertainty, she now goes straight to the point:

"I see that you two have written that your specialty is weaving, but unfortunately, Qin has not made much progress in silk reeling and silkworm breeding."

"Even if there are any, it will be a year or two later. Therefore, I think that there are not many people who can be used in this vast palace."

"If you two don't mind the dirt, mess, and hard work, would you be willing to raise some chickens and ducks for me and for the king?"

Putting aside other factors, if scientific breeding techniques can help chickens grow up healthily, increase the success rate of hatching chicks, and also improve egg production and meat gain rates...

If things continue to develop gradually, and next year, it will be a great merit to enable Qin children to eat an extra egg.

No matter how lowly their status was, they were still the seven daughters of Ji Heng's harem.

Having such an identity, promoting and publicizing it would not only be a good story, but also make it easier for the people to accept.

The Qin dynasty made this arrangement because they saw the women's patience and meticulousness in weaving, which is why they asked the question.

If they are unwilling, that's fine too; countless subordinates will naturally take care of it.

　Coming!
　　(End of this chapter)