Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 214, Section 213: The Jade Beauty's Arrangements
As the supply of fresh dates at Lanchi Palace gradually decreased, the weather suddenly turned cold, and it was already September.

The daytime heat subsided, the sun's intensity softened, and the breeze blowing from outside the Orchid Pool Palace carried a slight mist.

Late autumn has arrived.

Two months had passed since Qin Shi arrived in the Qin state.

After the palace affairs were distributed among the ladies, she was finally able to free herself from these tedious tasks and finally remembered the 10 beautiful women she had not yet dealt with.

After thinking about it, he summoned them, saying, "Bring them here."

These beautiful men were all robust and valiant, not particularly handsome, but quite masculine.

They may have become accustomed to this period of quietly waiting for an opportunity, and even after a while, they still maintain a spirited state, no matter who is not urging them.

However, when they came to Lanchi again, they were no longer as bold and enthusiastic as when they first met. Instead, they all bowed their heads and were very reserved.

The treatment one receives for trying to please the noble lady of Lanchi Palace is completely different from that received for seducing the Queen of Qin.

Qin Shi almost laughed.

Especially when he saw the special talent, Li Jiu, huddled at the very back of the group, he couldn't help but laugh out loud, recalling the complex and indescribable feeling of receiving the king's reward.

“Alright,” she reassured, “you have not done anything wrong, there’s no need to be nervous.”

After a long absence, the Queen's voice was still as kind and approachable as ever. Everyone bowed their heads in agreement, but still dared not look up at her.

Qin Shi didn't care, but he remembered the information he had written down before: "You were all carefully selected by the Minister of the Imperial Household Department, and each of you has unique skills."

For example, she remembered that the man named Chen Qi, just from his surname, she knew that his ancestors had been noblemen, which is why he was good at writing inscriptions on bronze vessels.

Bronze inscriptions are the inscriptions on bronze tripods, also known as bell and tripod inscriptions.

Without a solid foundation, ordinary children generally don't have the resources to learn this.

There is also one named "Yu Ge," whose sword dance is unparalleled.

Qin Shi rarely had any free time, so he smiled and said, "You have been staying in Lanchi for a long time, but you have no place to show your talents. I called you here because I don't want your skills to go to waste."

"Now, I have a few places to go—Lady Chu is rehearsing a dance drama, which will be performed in villages and counties all over the country from Xianyang in the future, to show the king's benevolence."

"Those of you who are skilled in music, dance, and singing may request to go."

There is absolutely no reason why they cannot accommodate everyone there.

Because Qin Shi was intended to be a national tour, she had even dictated the outline and ordered Xin to write several volumes of classic stories. She was just waiting for Lady Chu to finish rehearsing the story of "The Falling Star of Dongjun" so that she could try a new one.

Upon hearing this, several of the beauties showed delight on their faces.

Others, however, looked utterly distressed—like Li Jiu, whose only skill besides pitch-pot was that of a craftsman. Although he had memorized the Nine-Nine Song by the Queen's orders and had some knowledge of divination, it was only a superficial understanding.

In terms of other skills, we are far inferior to others.

And what about Chen Qi, whose calligraphy is excellent in bronze inscriptions? How can he be used in a dance drama?
Finally, there was a somewhat quiet player who played the sheng (a type of Chinese mouth organ), and his name was simply "Sheng".

Although he was skilled in it, he took the initiative to bow and ask, "May I ask Your Majesty, I am willing to stay at Lanchi for a long time and serve as your servant. I only ask that Your Majesty bestow upon me some more numerological arts like the [Nine-Nine Song]."

He hesitated, but finally said it: "I, I love this path very much."

Qin Shi was somewhat surprised: "You like mathematics?"

That's good. There's a real shortage of skilled workers in her field right now, and it's good that she's eager to learn.

"In that case, you may stay at Lanchi for the time being."

She was planning to conduct a simple examination at Lanchi Palace, and then have the palace servants learn to read and write.

Although seal script is difficult, even if other characters are promoted, it will still be necessary to recognize seal script in important occasions within the next 30 to 50 years.

It's never a waste to learn something.

As for Sheng, she looked at the records—although the other party seemed interested in mathematics, they were still illiterate.

Chen Qi's abilities, however...

Qin Shi pondered for a moment: "Since you are skilled in bronze script, do you also know oracle bone script?"

In the history she knows, about 15 fragments of oracle bone inscriptions have been discovered, including about 4300 individual characters, but only about a thousand have been commonly deciphered.

Many of those skilled in inscription today are actually illiterate. They are simply craftsmen who meticulously study each stroke.

Even if one recognizes bronze inscriptions, one is probably still somewhat lacking in knowledge of seal script and oracle bone script.

Those who excel in all three areas are now all talented individuals, holding official positions in the court.

If they were to be in charge of this alone, it would be a waste of their talents for each individual.

Therefore, she asked this question.

Chen Qi was puzzled: coming from a prominent family, he was well-versed in bronze inscriptions and would naturally be skilled in the evolution of oracle bone script as well.

He then cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I am skilled in both."

Qin Shi laughed: "Since you have such knowledge, I wonder if you want to stay in the Imperial Household Department to serve the nobles, or if you want me to arrange a job for you—which may take several years and not be very glorious."

However, perhaps centuries later, someone will discover your inscription and your signature.

You will be remembered in history, or you may be buried by time.

You may not be of much use in your time, but there will always be people who look down on history books and know that someone paid the price for you.

Chen Qi bowed again: "This humble servant is willing to serve the Queen."

Because of his literary talent and the fact that he wasn't a member of the inner circle of his family, he escaped the calamity. But this former nobleman is now a courtesan…

He didn't want to. He lacked the courage and martial spirit to earn military merit for the Queen.

He also lacked extraordinary talent and was unable to offer advice or strategies to the Queen.

He was nothing like that Zhongshuzi Xin, who could command the Queen with peace of mind—he was previously an uneducated and incompetent man.

He knows the script of bronze inscriptions, but that's all he's good at.

He seized this only opportunity: even if he lived a life of obscurity, as long as he could live a peaceful life, he would be fortunate enough.

Qin Shi smiled—she rarely showed a stern expression when facing those at the bottom of society.

At this moment, he said gently, "In that case, Red Maiden, pass on the order to the Minister of the Imperial Household. I wish to build a cauldron. It does not need to be decorated with flowers, birds, or auspicious patterns. It only needs to be engraved with the same characters in oracle bone script, bronze script, and the seal script of my Qin state."

"The number of characters corresponds to the number of tripods needed, and that's how many tripods will be built."

"Chen Qi, can you do it?"

The once-noble, silent and handsome man bowed deeply: "This humble one will obey the Queen's command."

Qin Shi chuckled again and said something that puzzled Chen Qi: "I don't want people to think I mistreated them thousands of years from now."

The bronze tripod in the Xianyang Museum of later generations bears the signature of the craftsman Dian. Today, the Chen bronze should also be qualified.

"From now on, you will no longer be a maid in the Imperial Household Department, but a master craftsman."

The "gongshi" was a minor official position in the Qin state responsible for the specific manufacture of objects.

Chen Qi clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, his heart pounding wildly in his chest.

Almost driven by fate, he bowed deeply once more, his voice steady and firm:
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your kindness."

……

That night.

As the breeze grew cooler by the Orchid Pond, Ji Heng strolled leisurely with the Queen, as was his custom.

Of course, only his body was at ease; the king's mind was still preoccupied with many matters of state. The queen was not idle either, recounting to the king in detail what had happened that day.

Ji Heng felt that this showed the Queen's sincere love for him.

But Qin Shi was working hard to cultivate family relationships—although the family was quite large, it didn't stop her from using close relationships to maintain mutual trust.

At this moment, they walked hand in hand, their arms soft and smooth, and the backs of their hands would touch the short sword hidden in their sleeves as they walked, but this did not affect Qin Shi's insistence on holding hands with Ji Heng.

At this moment, Qin Shicai said that it was now September and fresh fruits were gradually decreasing. He wondered if he could obtain some new species when he went to the Western Regions next year.
Suddenly, Ji Heng asked, "I have heard that the Queen summoned Yu Ren today and promoted someone to an official position."

His voice was unreadable, and his expression was always cold and stern. Qin Shirou looked at him with bright eyes: "These beauties were carefully selected and bestowed upon me by the King after he gave the order."

Ji Heng remained silent.

Qin Shi smiled wryly: "Besides, can a master craftsman be considered an official?"

They are only slightly better than craftsmen.

In the eyes of this king, it was utterly insignificant—even more so than the promotion of a junior official, which the king had never even bothered to mention.

But now that he's brought it up, Qin Shi said:
"The seal script of my Qin state is beautiful and fluent, with well-proportioned characters. It must be a fine script that Your Majesty has carefully selected."

Historically, the simplified form of oracle bone script and bronze script was the Greater Seal script.

However, the Small Seal script was simplified by Li Si, the prime minister of the Qin state, and was promoted throughout the country as part of the "standardization of writing".

In this unfamiliar history, this character is now found throughout the Qin state.

This is also why the Qin Dynasty did not intend to easily change course or learn different characters again.

Frequent changes in characters within a short period of time will reduce people's sense of acceptance of the "standardization of writing" policy. It may seem convenient, but it is actually detrimental.

"However, natural disasters and man-made calamities are difficult to control in this world, and it is inevitable that future generations will find it difficult to learn from them."

"Therefore, I promoted one to be a master craftsman to inscribe oracle bone script, bronze script and seal script on the bronze tripod."

She applied slight pressure to her hand: "So that even after thousands of years, people will still know of the King's benevolence in spreading civilization throughout the world."

Ji Heng hummed in agreement and didn't press further, but his pace quickened slightly.

Qin Shi smiled, having already noticed the king's current preferences and tolerance.

Only after nightfall, behind the heavy curtains that kept the cool night breeze at bay, did this tall and mighty monarch grip her waist tightly with his hot and powerful hands.

Like a falcon swooping down from the sky, firmly pinning its prey in its claws.

The queen couldn't help but gasp.

Her long, ink-black hair was spread out on the specially made soft pillow. Her bright eyes, flushed with rosy cheeks, opened, only to see the other person suddenly lean down again, unhesitatingly grabbing a piece of soft flesh and grinding it, and then seemingly casually asking:
"The Queen has not yet reported back today on what arrangements have been made for the beauty carefully selected by the Minister of the Imperial Household?"

A pair of jade-white arms stretched out from under the brocade quilt, and then lingered from the fatal chest upwards, tightly embracing the neck, which was even more vital.

Sensing the tension in the person above, he then panted and said innocently:

"I forgot."

"The opponent's specialty is pitch-pot, and he hits the target every time."

"In that case, our Queen of Qin cherishes talent, so she sent someone to the Zhongshuzi (a high-ranking official) to assist in the testing of new items."

　Although today's word count is still 3000, I just barely made it to a plot point.

　　I'm guessing there will be a lot of comments today... I've seen through you hypocrites.

　　(End of this chapter)