Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 230, Page 229: Visitors from Pinyang
The one most suited to moving the palace to Ganquan would be Ji Heng.

Even if it doesn't interfere with important business, the slow journey by carriage to Lanchi Palace is still inconvenient.

However, from Zhangtai Palace or Fang Palace to Ganquan Palace, the carriage travels slowly, taking no more than half an hour round trip. If one travels a little faster, the journey takes only the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

For the workaholic Ji Heng, this is more suitable for the Queen's residence.

However, he did not return that night.

Zhou Ju came early to report:

"With the New Year approaching, there are many official duties. His Majesty has been reading more than 160 catties of bamboo slips every day. He has no time to linger at night and is afraid of disturbing the Queen's rest. Therefore, he will stay at Fang Palace for the time being."

Qin Shi understood this, because her desk was now piled high with bamboo slips.

However, Ji Heng's absence was likely solely to avoid delaying important matters, rather than being as considerate as Zhou Ju claimed.

She sighed, realizing she was being a less-than-considerate queen:
"I understand! Remember to remind His Majesty to take care of his health."

Seeing her tender affection and reluctance to part, Zhou Ju paused, then regretted his own stubborn tongue—why hadn't he known to flatter the king like this before?

Anyway!

The Queen's sincerity should be known to the King!

……

After the Prefect Zhou left, the Crimson Maiden Wu Zi served by his side, carefully observing Qin Shi's expression, and then whispered, "His Majesty is always exceptionally busy during festivals and New Year's celebrations, Your Majesty need not worry..."

Before he could finish speaking, Qin Shi winked at them:

"The Queen is in a very low mood and has no interest in handling state affairs."

"If you two chief secretaries have some free time, why don't you help me process all the bamboo slips on this table first?"

The trivial matters in the palace were nothing more than disputes over festival gifts, salaries, bonuses, and various arrangements. She had previously delegated authority to the people in the palace, but they still came to report back every day, clearly not very confident in their abilities.

But it doesn't matter. Her two chief secretaries have served Ji Heng in the palace for many years, and their styles of doing things are compatible with hers. So, they can handle things on her behalf without making any mistakes.

As for myself...

Qin Shi glanced at the several silk scrolls that Chi Nu had presented to him separately, and then became happy again:

Where are the people from Pinyang now?

The Red Maiden had just begun organizing the bamboo slips in her hands, and hadn't even read two lines of text, when the Queen began giving her orders—

It wasn't that the Queen was impatient with handling trivial matters in the palace; clearly, she, like the King, had more important things to arrange and was simply unable to attend to them all.

This solidified her position as the chief historian, especially regarding Wu Zi's role.

As expected, my decision was right. Being the Queen's chief secretary is much more promising than being the King's chief secretary!

Thinking of this, and seeing the Queen's radiant expression, she felt particularly excited.

Therefore, I couldn't help but laugh:
"They arrived late last night and were not allowed to enter the palace, so they were allowed to freshen up and rest today. They are now waiting in the side hall."

"Xuan."

……

The man from Pinyang was a retainer from General Yan's household.

Although they were exempted from being buried alive with the generals of Yan and the King of Qin by special pardon, they still observed mourning together at home to show their loyalty after the death of their commander.

They were dispatched to Xianyang to deliver a message because: firstly, Madam Yan cherishes talent and cannot bear to see them wasting their time at home and neglecting their martial arts skills.

Secondly, it was also a subtle way of expressing goodwill to the Queen—we still remember your instructions when you were not yet the Queen.

In this way, they expressed their loyalty to the king and their support for the Yan family to the queen. Qin Shi had no time to think about the complex thoughts involved.

She had considered this matter a long time ago.

In terms of political sensitivity, I, from an ordinary family in peacetime, am nowhere near as good as the native-born civil and military officials of today.

If that's the case, why bother trying to figure it out?

A person's focus is limited, and that's not where her strength lies.

As long as one maintains one's proper status and enjoys Ji Heng's trust, one need not consider subordinates in any of one's actions.

The same is true today.

Although I felt a little grateful for the Yan family's thoughtfulness, what filled my heart first was a sense of anticipation and joy.

Because among those who came this time, besides General Yan's family retainers, there was also a peasant girl named "Ugly Girl".

Qin Shi still remembers her.

When she inquired about persimmon trees in Pinyang, among the many peasant women and children below, only she dared to speak boldly and say that there were early-ripening persimmon trees in the mountains.

I had promised 80 coins per dou of new persimmon cakes, and now that the other party has reported it, I suppose they must have succeeded.

This was just a small matter; even a business transaction worth 80 coins wasn't enough for the Queen to personally inquire about.

but--

However, Qin Shi saw the plight of the farmers in this.

After all, people nowadays only believe in the farming methods passed down from the elders and follow them strictly.

Any innovation or breakthrough would be risky, firstly because the law does not support it, and secondly because it would be risky for poor families.

But the fact that someone in Pinyang was able to try it out as soon as I mentioned it shows that the people's livelihoods are really narrow.

Imagine if this happened in later generations, and agricultural experts personally guided farmers on how to farm, the people might not necessarily accept it.

Unless the damage is caused by a disaster and the government sends experts to provide immediate relief, cooperation is unlikely.

The same principle applies today.

Only when people are starving and struggling to make ends meet will they dare to try other possibilities.

She has not yet received a report from Mrs. Ba and others, and therefore does not know how the promotion of resources such as coal and wheelbarrows is progressing.

However, if the entire Qin state were to experience and have the same mindset as it does now, the difficulties would likely be greatly reduced.

Amidst all these thoughts, Chou'er was taken to the main hall of Ganquan Palace.

She was just a 10-year-old girl, and the most luxurious place she had ever been was the Yan family's side courtyard where the nobleman had summoned her.

Unexpectedly, his bold attempt to sell his persimmon cakes, made at the benefactor's behest, to the Yan family resulted in him being unwittingly sent to Xianyang.

I wonder how worried my mother is at home...

She was nervous, but still bold. Now, after washing and grooming herself, her dark skin and bright eyes were revealed.

Her appearance was not exactly beautiful, but she possessed a certain rustic charm.

When I looked up, I heard my ethereal maidservant beside me reply, addressing me as "Queen."

Wow.

Ugly Child cried out silently in his heart.

It's the Queen! The Queen of Qin! That noblewoman from back then was actually the Queen!

She thought with a slight tremor, "If it were the Queen, she probably wouldn't mind that I stole persimmons from the mountains, would she?"

Or, if it cost 80 coins per bushel, would you still be willing to buy it?

She knelt down, but the Queen was still as warm and cheerful as ever, and even ordered people to set out a table and serve her some food and sweet soup...

It felt like they were back in Pinyang, where the rewards they received from the Queen had sustained their family for quite some time.

Ugly Girl suddenly relaxed: even if the Queen didn't buy them, once she returned to Pinyang and told others that she had seen the Queen, other people would buy the persimmon cakes.

While she was carefully eating and drinking, Qin Shi was already eyeing the dried persimmons on the plate—

It wasn't the kind of slightly hard and durable persimmon cake I remembered from my childhood; those were made from hard persimmons, and they're not available nowadays.

However, it's not as soft and honey-like as Fuping persimmon cakes.

At this time, the persimmons have large seeds and small fruits, so the resulting dried persimmons are not a bright orange-red, but rather a dark brown or blackish color. Only a thin layer of natural sugar frosting on top silently reveals their sweetness.

Since it was submitted, it must have already been tested for toxicity.

Qin Shi took a small bite—

Surprisingly, it tasted pretty good.

The skin was slightly firm and astringent, but this was quickly neutralized by a subtle sweetness, making it not unpleasant to eat. A little chewing revealed the meat underneath to be soft, chewy, and slightly moist – suggesting it wouldn't keep as long as I expected.

However, this natural, ripe sweetness was already considered top-grade candied fruit in the Qin state, which was now extremely poor in terms of flavor.

Take a couple more bites and you'll reach the shriveled persimmon seed inside, but just carefully remove it; it won't affect the taste of the fruit...

"Tell the palace chef to bring out all the candied fruits and preserves available now."

She had eaten all of these before.

Candied fruits made with maltose and other sweeteners cannot effectively neutralize the sour and astringent tastes, and the sweetness of maltose is also slightly insufficient. Nowadays, they are delicacies that only the wealthy can enjoy.

But compared to these naturally honey-like persimmon cakes, they seem to fall a little short.

Otherwise, the dried persimmon slices and persimmons from Pinyang would not still have a slight market in today's impoverished and difficult conditions.

She herself is used to eating desserts, and her highest praise for sweets is "not too sweet", which is quite different from people's tastes nowadays.

Therefore, after all the items were presented, Qin Shi directly gave the order:

"Let's call all the off-duty maids, eunuchs, and guards to try it, and then we can decide which one is the best."

The ugly child below carefully and quietly took a sip of the sweet, hot soy milk, not knowing what it was, but finding it just as sweet as the persimmon.

This made her feel uneasy again.

Seeing the Queen giving instructions from the high platform, she cautiously looked up and saw that the Queen was also looking over, then smiled slightly at her, the reassuring meaning of which was particularly obvious.

Ugly's heart immediately warmed.

Looking at the maidservant beside the Queen who was listening attentively to the instructions, she pursed her lips and, for some reason, wanted to be like her.

But does she really want to be the queen's lady-in-waiting, or someone who works for the queen...?

She still couldn't tell the difference.

……

Under the influence of Ji Heng and Qin Shi, Chi Nu's efficiency was also exceptionally good at getting straight to the point.

The queen gave only a few instructions, and she quickly divided them into unnamed equal parts, then allowed people to try to select them.

Just as Chou'er finished eating and was taken away to wash and change, her report arrived.

"Your Majesty, everyone has chosen dried persimmons."

The persimmons, cut into small pieces, are seedless and intensely sweet, standing out even more against the backdrop of other persimmons that have a slightly sour or light maltose flavor.

Qin Shi was also pleased.

"Ugly boy".

Looking at the young girl below, she asked, "How long can these dried persimmons be stored?"

Ugly could not answer this question.

She hesitated, somewhat embarrassed: 80 coins a bushel, so much more expensive than before. She couldn't even give a detailed answer, or perhaps she should be more patient and send it to Xianyang after the New Year…

She would be able to answer the Queen's question.

But Qin Shi didn't care.

Because from Pinyang to Xianyang, and then to the first and last batches of persimmon cakes, there must be at least ten days to half a month for preservation.

These days are enough for the persimmon cakes to be sold in Xianyang City.

As for the others, small farmers obviously do not have the capital to store food for a long time to observe its shelf life.

She then asked, "How many dried persimmons did your family make this year?"

Ugly hesitated.

But soon, she took a deep breath and boldly said, "I, I, I went up the mountain to pick persimmons, and now, with those, I've made 40 bushels."

Her family is small, and her father is still serving in the military and has not yet returned, making it extremely difficult for her and her mother to make ends meet.

Even those who farmed millet often couldn't get enough to eat.

Now that I've finally met a distinguished person, they even said it costs 80 coins per bushel...

She was still young and didn't know that the promises of benefactors were like bubbles blown on the surface, likely to vanish in an instant and be completely ignored.

But with just this spirit, he gritted his teeth and worked with his widowed mother to collect not only their own persimmons, but also those from the neighbors who found them too astringent, as well as the persimmon trees in the mountains.

The mother and daughter worked day and night, carefully gathering the grains, and now they have accumulated a full 40 bushels, which also means that they have not made any preparations for plowing the land next year.

Qin Shi was unaware of this desperate and hopeless mindset.

But she understood that for a small family like hers, the risk of saving 40 bushels of persimmons was no less than the risk of going bankrupt.

Then he smiled gently again:
"Are all 40 bushels this sweet?"

Ugly hesitated again.

She paused, then told the truth: "Your Majesty, my family is poor. Persimmons can be sold for money, so my mother and I only carefully tasted two and dared not eat more..."

"So, so..."

She didn't actually know if the rest would taste the same.

"But it was all done normally! It was all done according to the method taught by the maid, without any mistakes."

"It's alright." Qin Shi laughed out loud.

What a capable and efficient young woman!

If all the people under her command have this drive, even if they lack some skills, they can learn gradually.

“In that case, I’ll take it all at 80 coins a bushel.”

However, spending a fortune to buy a horse's bones is clearly not enough to let everyone know the benefits of following the Queen's orders.

She added, “Because you are bold and trust me, I will reward you with another hundred bushels of millet.”

Are you interested in this deal?

Ugly was completely bewildered.

She had never studied divination and did not know how many Qin half-ounce coins could be sold for forty dou.

But the hundred bushels of millet made her tremble all over, and then she couldn't stop shaking.

One hundred bushels! One hundred bushels! She and her mother eat little, but they can add wild vegetables and other grains to their millet. One hundred bushels, if the two of them are frugal, will be enough for a year!
"me!"

Not knowing what to do, she simply lay down on the ground, thought for a long time, and finally asked again:
"Can I come and collect one bushel of this hundred bushels of millet each month?"

Dried vegetables, wild vegetables, and miscellaneous grains, along with a bushel of millet, and the few acres of low-quality land at home...

They shouldn't starve to death!

But if they suddenly had so much millet in their home, the mother and daughter wouldn't be able to keep it.

She was young and didn't understand the meaning of "a child holding gold in the bustling city," but she had truly experienced a life of poverty.

That's why this question is being asked now.

Qin Shi looked at her and genuinely wanted to nurture her.

　Here it comes! Today I participated in the business battle and drank BaWang ChaJi... as fierce as a tyrant!

　　Right now, I'm diligently taking stock of what I ate, drank, and did. I don't know why my thoughts are flowing so smoothly tonight...

　　(End of this chapter)